A Complicated but Timely Pivot
The first thing I noticed when I arrived at Hillside Botanicals, located at 5675 RT-12 in West Brookfield, was the calm surroundings. A mid-19th-century home. Outbuildings. Fences. Fields. Gardens. And Flowers. It wasn’t dramatic or staged, but remarkably picturesque.
I felt a grounded, unhurried steadiness that seemed to rise from the land and from Sarah Shaw and Nathan Bacon, owners of the growing farm. That sense of repose felt especially powerful once I understood the moment they are in now. They are navigating a complicated but timely pivot, one that had been hinted at in the tea leaves for a while: stepping away from hemp and CBD entirely. Not drifting away but choosing to step away. Drawing a line in the sand.
I arrived expecting to talk about farming, regulation, and product lines. Instead, the conversation unfolded into something deeper. By the time we wrapped up, nearly two hours had passed, including a full tour of the farm. The story that emerged was clearer and more layered than I expected. Proving, once again, that first impressions are often way off the mark. Here is what I took away:
A place where everything has a purpose
Walk the grounds, and you’ll often see chickens in movable coops without floors, structures Nathan shifts across the land so the birds can naturally fertilize the soil while enjoying fresh treats — worms, bugs, and weeds — all without fear of predators. Or ducks that have become pets.
Their farm is just one acre, but they use it like a New Yorker uses a one-bedroom shared with four roommates; every square inch is used for something, by someone. They also lease small patches of land from neighbors, family, and friends.
The greenhouse, ninety-six feet long, was salvaged from a closing commercial operation in Addison. Nathan rebuilt it, engineered it, leveled the ground, ran electricity, and designed it to double as a drying space later in the season. Inside that long outdoor structure is a lovely plant nursery that sells certified organic vegetables, herbs, medicinals, flowers, and perennials. It’s open from eleven to six Wednesday through Friday and ten to four on weekends, a hub for gardeners and home growers who want plants raised with the same care the farm gives everything else. Just outside, you can check out their young apple trees, blueberries, elderberries, currants, and a growing collection of perennial pollinator species. See their full nursery list here.
The production barn is a commercial kitchen where they make teas, tinctures, salves, and their wildly popular fire cider, a potent, organic, small-batch tonic that has become one of their signature products.
And then there’s the garlic. What began as twenty-five bulbs has grown, through careful saving, replanting, and selection, into a six-thousand-bulb garlic patch.
Their product line reflects that core belief. Fire cider, bright and bold and warming. Herbal teas formulated by Sarah, a trained clinical herbalist, using plants grown feet from the production barn. Tinctures that are simple, potent, and combine traditional knowledge and modern science. Skincare infused with herbs grown on-site.
Kombucha experiment
As we toured the farm, Nathan handed me a glass of his latest batch of herbal kombucha. It was cold, crisp, and layered with herbs from the field. He told me he has finally settled on a recipe he can repeat consistently, a milestone that shifts the conversation from experimentation to possibility. The next question is whether to take it into production. It felt like fresh news, something right on the edge of becoming real, and I’ll admit I found myself hoping he might eventually offer this booch to customers and soon. We’ll see.
If he chooses to scale it, he’s not starting from scratch. Nathan grew up inside the world of Freedom Foods, founded by his mother, Cathy Bacon, who built a forty-thousand sq ft, state-of-the-art production facility designed for efficiency, cleanliness, and rapid changeover. That influence shows up at Hillside. The commercial kitchen — the “production barn,” as they call it — carries echoes of the same philosophy. The space is laid out for smooth workflow, quick cleaning, and the ability to switch from one product to another without losing precious time during the busiest stretches of the season.
“I’m always tweaking things,” he said, smiling, referring to the booch. “Different herbs, different fruits. It’s fun.” Fun and genuinely delicious!
Two people, one dream
Hillside Botanicals didn’t begin on its current acre. It began on Nathan’s parents’ land, where they first experimented with hemp, medicinal herbs, and the idea of farming as a livelihood. They incorporated in 2018, got certified organic in 2019, and for a while, hemp was the backbone of the business. But even then, they were juggling multiple jobs.
Nathan was working as a Facility and Process Engineer at Freedom Foods. “I still use it, definitely,” he said, noting he built the greenhouse, the barn, the irrigation systems, and pretty much anything that required problem-solving. He continues to consult at his mother’s food facility, and keeps one foot in the engineering world while the farm grows.
Before the farm started, Sarah was working on Senator Sanders’ presidential campaign, then the solar industry, before shifting into her current role as a remote consultant for a national network of sustainable, purpose-driven businesses. She works West Coast hours, which means her days start at the farm here and end with remote work until 7-8 pm. “It’s certainly a full day,” she said, “but it lets us build this life. And I feel lucky for that."
They’re honest about the role privilege played in getting started. “We had support,” Sarah said plainly. “Access to family land, education, a community of friends who were all in this agro world. That gave us a foundation. We don’t pretend otherwise.”
From the outside, their farm and livelihood might look idealistic, but it does not come without immense work, dedication to continuous learning, and an openness to fail and adapt. They seek to share knowledge as they go, inviting people to join in the journey through visiting the farm, trying their unique products and plants, and collaborating with other local entrepreneurs and businesses rooted in community. Which is why they’re so excited about Randolph’s soon-to-open Goldie’s Village Market.
Sarah and Nathan know that many people dream of the life they’re living: close to the land, close to community, close to something meaningful. A life where every plant has a purpose. Every product has a story. And every choice is made with care. A life where medicine truly is for the people and the planet. Thank you, Sarah and Nathan!
