Our Family Farm

Hart-T-Tree Farms grows premium Fraser fir Christmas trees in the mountains of North Carolina and sells them to retailers across the country. We also operate our own Christmas tree lots in southeast Florida.

Founded in 1976 by John & Kathy Chefas, Hart-T-Tree Farms originated in Hart, Michigan. In the 1980s, John & Kathy moved the farming operation to Grassy Creek, North Carolina to grow Fraser fir Christmas trees in their native mountain home. Today, Hart-T-Tree Farms is managed by John and Kathy’s daughter, Carrie McClain, and her husband Jeff.

Grassy Creek, North Carolina is located in Ashe County, in the northwest corner of the state on the Virginia border. Hart-T-Tree Farms retails its Christmas trees in the counties of Broward, Palm Beach, and Brevard, Florida.

 

Our History

John started selling Christmas trees when he was in grade school. John’s father, Spiros Chefas, sold Christmas trees outside the family home in Chicago, Illinois for over 50 years and when he was young, John was expected to help out! 

Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, John ran his own tree lot on the northside of Chicago. When John and Kathy met in 1976, John had just purchased his first piece of property in Hart, Michigan to start growing his own Christmas trees. Hart-T-Tree Farms was born soon after over a deep-dish, Chicago-style pizza at a Lou Malnati’s on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. 

A graduate of the University of Miami (where he played baseball), John and Kathy decided that Florida would be a much more hospitable place to sell Christmas trees — better winter weather! The retail operation moved to southeast Florida in 1980 and opened the first Christmas tree lot in Pompano Beach, Florida.  

As the Fraser fir Christmas tree grew in popularity, John and Kathy relocated to Grassy Creek, North Carolina in 1986 to grow Fraser firs in their native Appalachian mountains.

Since 1980, Hart-T-Tree Farms has had Christmas tree lots in various counties and cities from Davie, Florida to Melbourne, Florida. At one point, we had Christmas tree lots on the west coast as well in the greater Tampa Bay area.

Our trees are also available at Gethsemane Garden Center in Chicago, Illinois. John’s older brother, Regas Chefas, owns and operates Gethsemane Garden Center. Gethsemane Garden Center is a beautiful and expansive garden center on the northside of Chicago — a few blocks from where John and his brothers and sisters (and his parents) went to high school. 

Our Farm Today

In 2011, John and Kathy’s daughter Carrie joined the family farm. In 2024, Carrie became a co-owner of Hart-T-Tree Farms and took over management of the farm, along with her husband Jeff.

Today, all of our Christmas tree lots are in southeast Florida in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Most of our lots are sponsored by a community partner and proceeds from the Christmas tree lots benefit them too.

Our Christmas tree lots are usually in the same locations year after year, but sometimes we have to move or close a Christmas tree lot for one reason or another. We post our lot locations each year on our website, so if you wonder where we’ll be this year, you can look and see by visiting our Christmas Tree Lots page.

Our Commitments

  • Partners

    Retail success demands both exceptional quality and dependable partnerships. Our wholesale customers return year after year because they know Hart-T-Tree Farms delivers on both counts. We understand that your reputation depends on the products you sell, and we take that responsibility seriously. We are committed to the success of our partners.

  • Employees

    We could not farm without our workers. Their dedication, expertise, and pride in their work is what makes our farm a success, which is why their health, well-being, and prosperity remain among our top priorities. Many of our workers journey to our farm from Mexico on H2A visas, leaving their families for most of the year to seek better economic opportunities. We honor their sacrifice by creating a supportive work environment and ensuring their time with us is worth it.

  • Sustainability

    As responsible stewards of our land, Hart-T-Tree Farms balances exceptional tree quality with eco-friendly farming practices. We use integrated pest management practices, keeping chemical usage to a minimum. We also partner with organizations like the New River Conservancy to build and maintain healthy riparian buffer zones, protecting the creeks that flow through our farms and the wildlife that lives in them.

Affiliations and Memberships

Hart-T-Tree Farms is a proud member of the following associations and organizations:  National Christmas Tree Association, North Carolina Christmas Tree Association, Ashe County Christmas Tree Association, and Ashe County Chamber of Commerce. We also proudly support the Real Christmas Tree Board and the Joy to The Real campaign.