The Farm
In the mountains of Butler, Tennessee, one special patch of soil is rooted in family, faith, health, tradition, and progress. Hillside Haven Farm is not only beautiful and well-tended but also a reliable, functional source of fresh produce for the community.
The Farmers
Samuel & Elizabeth Echemendia have tended this land with their family for over a decade, but launched Hillside Haven Farm as a business venture in 2018. After successfully gardening to feed their large family, they knew that the next step was to help feed their community. Throughout the years, they have developed a diverse and far-reaching customer base, ranging from the Boone, North Carolina area, through the Northeast Tennessee region.
The Food
With a wonderfully flexible growing season thanks to their high tunnels, Hillside Haven Farm is able to provide customers with a wide variety of naturally grown vegetables nearly all year long! Some shopper favorites are the salad mix, microgreens, root vegetables, tomatoes, and cooking greens such as kale and collards. Customers especially enjoy knowing that their produce is not only of the freshest quality, but was grown entirely without chemicals.
The Features
Their specialty is providing weekly boxes of vegetables and microgreens to customers who are members of their CSA. This acronym stands for “Community Supported Agriculture”, a business model commonly used by small farms to create long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with their customers. Members pay up-front for a share of produce throughout an agreed-upon season, usually at a discounted rate from the regular retail price, and with access to more specialty crops than are available at regular farmers markets. This model gives farms a more flexible operating budget at the outset of the season, and provides customers with reliable produce at a great value.
Hillside Haven Farm offers an accommodatingly wide range of CSA membership options to choose from! With multiple share sizes, payment plans, customizable selections, pickup and delivery options, and three different seasons, customers can look forward to fresh, reliably available produce every week, nearly year-round. Customers can even customize their CSA share items weekly, via an app.
CSA membership is not required; all customers can enjoy the convenience of placing an online order for fresh produce at nearly any time! In order to streamline their community’s access to fresh food, Hillside Haven Farm offers many quick and convenient options for pickup at multiple regional locations, and even home delivery.
Customers who are more inclined to browse in person are encouraged to shop at one of the farmers markets that they attend! The Elizabethton Farmers Market is their primary market, and is open every Tuesday afternoon, 4pm to 7pm, in June through September. (Kiwanis Park, 1208 W. G Street, Elizabethton, TN.) Another market to find them at is the Beech Mountain Farmers Market, the first Friday of the month from June through October. (105 Bark Park Way, Beech Mtn. NC.) Samuel and Elizabeth also invite customers directly to their farm for pre-arranged order pickups, for those that are interested to see the farm in person!
As they continue to grow, Hillside Haven Farm has connected with local chefs and store owners to provide them with a reliable source for produce, delivery included! Diners enjoy fresh vegetables and microgreens in meals from local restaurants, such as the Tin Can Diner food truck in Elizabethton, TN, and the Appalachian Coffee Cupboard in Hampton, TN.
The Footprints
With an impressive commitment to their community, they continued to deliver produce to their customers even with the significant challenges they faced from the loss of their roads, electricity, and water during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Hillside Haven Farm is Certified Appalachian Grown, which ensures that all purchases from their farm are in support of a real family who lives and farms in your own community, and are not in support of a corporation.
Quality, service, and commitment define the values of the Echemendia family as they grow the finest vegetables the soil of East Tennessee has to offer!
The Future
To join their upcoming CSA season or for any additional questions, contact Hillside Haven Farm by calling or texting (828) 773-0254, emailing hillsidehavenfarmtn@gmail.com, or visiting their website. https://hillsidehavenfarmtn.square.site
