Over time I gained a deeper appreciation for the earth and its produce, and discovered that I wanted to pursue a lifestyle that allowed my love for the land and its beauty to grow. I also realized that I enjoyed interacting with people on the farm and helping them to experience agriculture and nature for themselves.

After graduating from high school, I began seeking my own business in agriculture and was connected with an established beekeeping company whose owners wanted to retire. I had never thought about being a beekeeper, but it was a good opportunity that came with a commercial honey market with established clientele. I bought the business in 2011 and immediately began selling honey throughout eastern Michigan, eventually ranging all the way from Mackinaw Island to Clarkston.

As my business grew, so did my need for my own property to set down roots and provide room for expansion. I was once again blessed when I received the opportunity to buy the Smiley Face farm in Hillman, and my wife and I signed the papers in June of 2017. The Smiley Face barn is a landmark in our region, and we have been told many times that we can never take the smile down. Ever. But don’t worry — we don’t plan to! We can’t tell you how many people have told us that seeing the smile on our barn has brightened their day and helped them to smile back, and that is the heart of our farm!

After settling into our new home, we began researching other business opportunities that would pair well with our honey and easily settled on lavender. Not only does lavender benefit the aesthetics of our farm, but it can also be utilized in a wide variety of products, including culinary, cosmetic, aromatherapy, and art. We started with 2,000 lavender plants in 2019 and harvested our first crop in 2021. Lavender is a mediterranean plant, so Northeast Michigan is not exactly its ideal climate, and it has taken us a notable amount of trial and error to figure out the best way to sustainably grow lavender here on our open hilltop. Nevertheless, we can now proudly showcase our beautiful plants each June and are working to provide more opportunities for you to experience lavender at its finest. We are in the process of building a patio by our lavender plot to host small events during bloom season, which will be landscaped by 300 new plants this spring!

Courtesy Photo The Dreyer family poses for a picture with their lavender plants at Dreyer Hill Farm. Pictured are Luke and Kathy Dreyer with their children, Leah and Caiden. Not pictured is baby Ethan, who was just born.

We have had many people tell us that they want to come sit out at the lavender and simply “be.” We love that, and we encourage you to come experience the lavender for yourself. See it, smell it, feel it. You don’t have to buy anything, just come and be a part of what we get to experience on a regular basis. For those that want to take lavender home, you can cut your own lavender during bloom season or buy some pre-cut. We also offer dried bundles and buds, sachet bags, simmer pots, and lavender honey.

The next step in our process was trees and shrubs. These not only add an element of beauty, but many of them also produce fruit. We were blessed to receive mentoring from a fellow nursery company that helped us to launch our own small nursery of trees and plants in 2023. One unique feature that we offer is bare root trees that do not come with soil, providing the most cost-effective option for obtaining a tree, available only in the spring. Whether buying potted or bare root, we love being able to help customers find the right tree or plant for them. Many of our customers are looking to plant a tree as a memorial or dedication, or to create/recreate memories, and we are honored to help make that possible.

We are pleased to still sell pure, raw northern Michigan honey in many stores throughout our region. We are also creating more options for buying our honey and other products directly from us. We will soon have our own storefront available on our farm, and as time and funding allows, we will renovate our barn and property to provide even more opportunities for you and your family to come be a part of our farm.

During our primary season of May to September, we are open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, and during the week by appointment. For more information and updates, you can contact us, follow us on Facebook, sign up for our newsletter and view our online store.

Luke and Kathy Dreyer own and operate Dreyer Hill Farm, 17295 M-32, Hillman. Reach them at dreyerhillfarm@gmail.com.