Our story

Love, Hugs & Jesus:

The Story of Nunnikhoven Farm

When Kai was four years old, his parents asked him a question on the way to check the cows: "What does love mean to you?" He looked out the truck window and answered simply, "Love, hugs and Jesus."

That answer has stayed at the center of Nunnikhoven Farm ever since.

The farm sits in Marion County, Iowa, where two barns tell the story of a family's roots. The original barn was built in 1864 , the the “L” section being added in 1919, and the big barn in 1921. All were built by Chandler's great-great & great grandparents. In the early 1990s the farm was sold. Then in 2011 the old homeplace crossed Chandler's path again, and he had the chance to buy it back. Chandler and Melinda have been pouring their hearts into it ever since.

Today, Chandler, Melinda, Kai, Jaymis, Doris, Levi and Tilly live a life where everything is done together, even when it takes a little longer. That extra time is on purpose. It's time to talk about the day while practicing counting with the littlest ones (counting tulips is hard work, after all). It's time to stop and watch a sunset, and to hear Levi & Tilly shout, "LOOK! God made that for ME!"

The days are full. Chandler has his full-time job, and the family also runs a farm business built on tulips and pumpkins. There are cows, chickens, and kids to homeschool. But the seasons set the rhythm: a time to plan, a time to work, a time to rest.

The tulips. Every fall, every single tulip bulb is planted by hand. Chandler usually does the digging, and Melinda and the kids follow behind, planting. Come spring, the fields bloom, and the family hand-delivers bouquets and vase subscriptions to neighbors, hoping each one brightens someone's day. In the past, families have come for You-Pick tulip days, and the hope is that they can be offered again in the future. Many have taken photos in the tulips, sometimes with their children in Dutch costumes. The Nunnikhovens have had their own family photos taken here for years, including their wedding and every new addition to the family.

The sunflowers. When summer arrives, the farm turns golden. The family has grown fields of sunflowers for You-Pick events, giving families another chance to wander the rows, cut their own armfuls, and make memories together.

The bees and the pumpkins. Melinda is a beekeeper, and her bees do more than make honey. They pollinate the farm's pumpkins, so the fall harvest is a small miracle of teamwork between the family and the hive.

The beer. Someone once wondered whether it was a crazy idea to put tulips in beer. The folks at Gezellig Brewing Company in Pella tried it, and the petals came from the Nunnikhovens' fields. The brewers pulled the petals off of the tulips, and the result was a Tulip Bier with a pinkish-orange hue and a floral aroma. It debuted for Pella's Tulip Time, and it was one of the first of its kind in the country. As Melinda put it, what they do is a lot of hard work, and so is what Gezellig does, so getting to collaborate and have fun with it was the best part. Today, you can also find drinks made with the farm's tulips at Iris Coffee in Pella and Spire Drink Co in Knoxville during the tulip season.

The barns. The barns are the center of everything. Over the years they have sheltered winter calves, pigs, bottle lambs and calves, young chickens and goats, and hay in the haylofts. They were home to Dolly the milk cow, where hundreds of kids on field trips have squeezed in for their first try at milking. The barns have been the backdrop for two weddings, the music stage at Harvest Fest, and the cedar-floored payment area for tulip season. The family doesn't see itself as owning the barns. It sees itself as stewarding them for the next generation, and it dreams of putting up square bales in those haylofts again and filling the stalls with cattle.

Our community. None of this happens alone. The Nunnikhovens have the greatest community, one that pours into them and supports them season after season. They never stop thinking about how to give back, and one of the ways they do it is by opening the farm to the people who have opened their hearts to them. It takes all of us: small-town businesses rooting each other on, lifting each other up, and sharing what they love about their neighbors so that everyone can succeed.

Harvest Fest. Every fall, the farm opens up for Harvest Fest, with vendors, musicians, food, fun and, of course, pumpkins. The third annual festival drew around 1,500 people, and this year's is on October 3rd. The theme is "Come Back to the Farm." A whole section of the festival is set aside for young entrepreneurs, kids who come to sell their goods. It's an experience that reaches far beyond the simple transactions: learning to greet customers, be brave, and take pride in something they made. The family is passionate about it, because the best way to pour into the future is to invest in kids.

Through all of it, from the first spring bulb to the last pumpkin, the family holds on to the same three things their son named all those years ago. And they hope the farm can be a little bit of light for everyone who visits, just as it is for them every day.

"You are the light of the world." — Matthew 5:14