Learning About Lynch Creek Farm
It started as a way to keep the boys out of trouble on in a garage on Lynch Road, an extension of the summer season with the organic vegetables and cut flowers. At that time just a couple hundred wreaths a year were made by hand, just like it’s done now, but now Andy Hunter employs 40 year-round full-time employees to over 600 seasonal workers in two locations in Shelton and Elma, which makes them one of the largest employers in the area each fall.
Since 1980, Lynch Creek Farm and their wreaths are sold locally, you can see a 6-foot example of their product at the entrance of the Olympia Farmer’s Market where the still have a booth today. In addition to the local sales, Lynch Creek Farm ships nationally and beyond with such corporate clients as the San Diego Padres, Baylor University and Norwegian Cruise Lines and more.
From making bows, piecing together wreaths, and answering phones, Andy Hunter understands that the culture of Lynch Creek Farm is just as important as the final product that shows up in their iconic red box. A sense of family and pride of the work is instilled across the company, taking from the family traditions in his own home, everyone understands that these products are just products, they can be cornerstones to family memories.
In addition to his staff, the non-direct employees, and connections he makes with others like, Green Diamond, Cooper Studios, Local Farmers, and even neighboring Oregon and Idaho which also help provide materials. Without everyone working towards the same goals the success of the Farm wouldn’t have been able to move beyond Andy’s initial 5-year goal for himself, with the farm now into its 4th decade of operation.
On your next walk about amongst the trees you may look down and see some Ponderosa Pinecones, those full iconic cones of the trees around are the same ones that are used in the wreaths and centerpieces Lynch Creek Farm creates. The bows made of Pine, Incense Cedar, and Noble Fir add the lush green look with an unmistakable smell of the forest, brought in by small trucks and large semis to help fulfill the massive amount of orders shipped out every day.
Until recently, both the wreaths and the centerpieces were made in Shelton but with business growing at about 20% a year Andy needed to secure more space to grow. Like his great relationship with the Port of Shelton, a 200,000 square foot building at the Satsop Business Park at the Port of Grays Harbor has become his centerpiece hub where 150 of his employees work to create product that will end up on tables across the country to brighten the spirit of the families who receive them.
You may see wreaths elsewhere, at pop-up stands, in big-box stores and online but it’s the dedication to innovation that keeps Lynch Creek Farm moving forward. The original wreath with the red bow, which is still one of his top sellers, has now transformed into 250 different products with 60 new products developed every year. From dogs to gnomes, grinchs and birdhouses there are products for everyone.
If you’ve had a long day at work and come home to see that iconic red box, most often not ordered by you but by someone who took the time to think about you and place order, Andy has heard the stories of how it’s brightened a person’s day in unimaginable ways. The real magic however is when that box is opened and that wreath that was made by hand, with love from beginning to end, chosen especially for that person opening the package is what, as they say, makes the season bright.
