Meet Brian & Pam Hammack | Owners of Hope Homestead Farms, General Store and CSA

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brian & Pam Hammack and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian & Pam, how does your business help the community?
When we set out on this journey we wanted to do something that involved the community. For a long time we have been moving away from locally made, locally grown produce and goods. With that transition many much needed skills and beautifully crafted items have been lost. We have spent several years searching the surrounding areas for talented people able to craft amazing things, the types of things our great-grandparents had around their house. Things that would last for generations. We wanted to offer a place for those artisans to be able to share their skills with the world and remind us all that not everything arrives on a ship and is sold in big box stores. Similarly, we wanted to offer locally grown produce. Fruits and vegetables grown within a 15 minute drive of our store, picked shortly before its made available to the public, not shipped from all corners of the globe. Today we have moved far beyond just aprons and tomatoes. We offer organic teas both locally grown and from around the world, as well as cheese, milk, wagyu beef, seasonal produce all of which is grown or made locally. Lastly, our location has allowed us to offer an amazing space for community events such as educational events, farmers markets, movie nights, kids days and a family friendly place to hang out.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Both of us came from a background in construction management. We have done everything from design GPS systems for offshore projects to overseeing environmental cleanup as well as tasked with keeping hundreds, and at times thousands of workers headed in the right direction all while ensuring schedules were met and safety was maintained. We traveled the country, (and in some cases outside of it), working on projects ranging from marine to heavy industrial. It was on one of these projects that we met, and everything changed for us. The life of traveling for work meant countless nights in campgrounds, apartments and hotels often being gone from home for months at a time. One day we decided to walk away from it all, buy a farm in Gallia county and start a new chapter of our life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We recently had the opportunity to work Final Boss Con in Rio Grande. There were five special guests from TV and video games that spoke at the show and signed autographs. A constant comment by each of them was how exceptionally friendly and welcoming everyone was to them compared to all of the places they have appeared. It’s the people of this area that make the difference from all the other places we have been. You cannot visit this area without experiencing the wonderful people that make up Gallia. If you start your day with Twinkleberries Coffee Shop its the smile of Dustin and Kelsea that make it worth while, if you’re out and about and have the chance to run into Steve and Becky Evans and hear some of their stories you’re in for a treat, or stop by our store and listen to Pam explain what special teas we have that help to combat allergies, it’s always about the people. It’s the drive through the country where Amish buggies traverse the roads, and farms still dot the countryside hearkening back to a simpler time.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There will never be enough space for all the people that made this possible. However, first off none of this would be possible without the friendship, encouragement and opportunities offered by Bill and Tammy Dummitt. Our daughter Gracie for her patience and help with the building of the store and working alongside us when things got hectic. Rick and Linda for their ever present encouragement. Seraphia for spending time helping us paint, our vendors that have followed us around, Mayor Matt and the amazing people of Rio Grande who have welcomed us with open arms. Last but not least for Mackenzie Halley answering a random message from Brian that started this roller coaster of a ride.

Website: https://www.hopehomestead.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HopeHomesteadFarms