Settled just below the Central Valley foothills is Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery. This small creamery isn’t just home to milking goats, however. This beautiful ranch is also home to a field planted with brightly colored flowers. From Sunflowers, Zinnias, Celosia, Cosmos to Queens Anne Lace and Sun Balls- there are a variety of flowers all waiting for you to pick to create custom-made bouquet that is unlike any other.
Sweet Thistle Farms is a quaint flower farm owned and operated by Sarah Shoffner, a Northern California transplant who is newly married to Luke Shoffner, a custom grape harvester and grape farmer who supports his wife’s venture. Sarah sustains her cut flower business with a full-time position at Guss Automation but has big dreams for her growing side-business.
“I grew up in Northern California, outside of the Chico area on a family farm. I attended Chico State while in college and worked at flower shop on the weekends. Floral design has stuck with me since then. My dear friend and mentor, Paula Carli at Windmill Farms, has a stunning flower farm that I’ve been able to learn and help collaborate with the last ten years. Over the years I’ve been a vendor and customer at a handful of farmers markets in Northern California.”
The best part about her cut-flower passion? She keeps it creative with events that allow you to experience a unique activity for a personal date or even group meetings. She even has a pumpkin patch during fall months, and this past Valentine’s day ran a special with The Beef Boutique(read more about TBB in this magazine) to sell flower arrangements and beef packages for a romantic dinner! Her ability to be so diverse gives her a unique edge; you can’t find this kind of personal touch with many florists!
“We also have workshops for canning, flower design, wreath making, pumpkins with succulents, flower crowns and cooking. Events at the farm include Kidd’s weekend March 7th, Mother’s Day weekend brunch at Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery, and in October we have a Pumpkin Patch. All events are from 10am -2pm.”
The partnership between Sweet Thistle Farms and Rocky Oaks Creamery is beneficial, in that it brings people out to tour the goat farm, and also provides a great opportunity to build a bouquet worth a million memories. While Shoffner hopes to make this her full-time focus one day, she is focusing on how she can grow where she is currently “planted.”
“We plant a seed, water them and watch our plant turn into blooms. It’s not always easy when you have pests or 100+ degree weather for days on end but we find a way with supportive friends and family that provide encouragement and muscles. The farm makes me happy and flowers make everyone happy. My short term goal is to make this farm not just my hobby farm, but a sustainable business.”
“I wanted to meet more people in my new community I’m calling home so I started Sweet Thistle Farms with my friend, Ranetta. We are located on the edge of Clovis at a Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery and are open on the weekends for u-pick flowers. We also participate in the Old Town Clovis Farmers Market on Friday nights. This year we are looking to expand by adding more Farmers Markets, u-pick hours, event flowers for things like baby showers and small weddings, flower stands, and Project Kindness flowers- where we deliver extra flowers to those who are kind in our community, first responders, senior homes, teachers, and locals who give that give back to others or those spreading kindness in our community.”
Sweet Thistle Farms can be found at local Farmers Markets in the Fresno County area, as well as on Facebook and Instagram.
