Hillcrest Flower Farm
Caitlin Costello
Georgia
The Farm
Hillcrest is a backyard farm and design studio in Marietta, GA. ON <1/5 acre, we field-grow flowers in raised beds with perennials throughout the landscape. For five years, I've sold through markets, subscriptions, online, and events - embracing small-scale growing and showing our community what's possible in small spaces.
The Project Funded
This grant will underwrite construction of a CoolBot-powered walk-in cooler, a critical infrastructure upgrade for my small-scale backyard farm. Cold storage will improve efficiency by extending vase life, reducing post-harvest losses, enabling flexible harvest windows, consolidating harvests for volume sales, and coordinating timing across multiple sales outlets and local market demands.
Project Impact
This grant will catalyze my farm's growth by allowing investment in high-value, storable crops like peonies and tulips. The cooler will streamline operations, expand access to beautiful local blooms, and serve as a critical first step in transitioning from a side hustle to a sustainable livelihood.
