Tims Family Farm began when Jean and Junior Tims moved from Gary Indiana to Ripley Tennessee in 1955 in search of a healthier lifestyle, fresher air and overall a better place to raise their children, Marion and Jack. They started farming growing mainly tomatoes as a hobby, then they started farming to sell their production as a summer job but it was until Mom decided it was too much work to be consider as a “part time” that they decided to farm as a family business. It was 1969.

They planted tomatoes as a principal crop and vegetables as pickling cucumbers, yellow squash and zucchini and their business for 35 years was wholesaling. It was a lot of work (and still a lot of work these days), they worked with mules, picked and pack everything by hand. During all these years only the youngest of the family, their son Robert (and also my husband) worked at the farm nonstop even when he had a regular job thru the years. But it was until his dad became ill that he took full care of the farm business and his parents to help them thru the difficult days. His dad Jr. Tims passed away in 2002. Robert continued to work and take care of the farm business and his Mother Jean.

We met and got married in 2006 (a beautiful fairytale) and by then Robert was experimenting with a new way to make business, the farmers markets and retail. That was the last year he made business with a big company thru wholesaling. In 2007 our farm was in 3 farmers markets and we celebrated the addition of a new member in our family, our precious daughter, Nicole. The next year, 2008 we lost Robert’s mom, Jean Tims but we keep her in our hearts and we honor her memory in our hard work. That was a year of a lot of changes in our lives and in our business; we started selling at the Agricenter and to Whole Foods Market, expanding our business.

We continued to grow in 2009 (thanks to the support of all of our customers and friends) in new markets and location and this year, 2010 we expect to be really good for us and for our customers. We are not only growing our family (we are expecting another baby!) but going to new markets and opening our farm for visitors! We are very excited to make you, our customers and friends’ part of our dream, to produce fruits and vegetables with sustainable practices and return to the community by sharing this gift of land, knowledge and fun that farming offers to us all.

That is a piece of our past history; help us to build our future history!

Robert, Karen and Nicole Tims.