Celebrating 40 Years of Getting Our Hands Dirty

Pinetree Garden Seeds Catalogs from 1980s and 1990s

Cheers to 40 years!!! All of us here at Pinetree are thrilled to be celebrating this milestone and are incredibly grateful for all the customers and staff that have been with us over the last 40 years.

As we reflect on our anniversary, we asked ourselves, what makes us different? Why Pinetree? The answer was simple: you, our loyal customers. Some have been with us since the very beginning, some have just discovered us, but we all share a love of growing and eating fresh, healthy food.

I personally took over the company in 2011 because I love being able to connect with people around a shared love of healthy, natural foods. Growing, harvesting, and preparing your own food, and sharing those meals with friends and family, is one of the most satisfying things in the world. As my husband and former chef, Jef, and I have grown our family (Ellis, 7 and Sloane, 3), these values are what we seek to pass on to our kids and sharing and preparing family dinner together is a treasured ritual in our home.

Jef and I have also continued the tradition of not only a family-run company, but also a small, independent one. Many seed companies have been purchased by large corporations, but we remain small with only about 10 year round employees. We are proud that we can pay these employees a livable wage and employ those in our local community, while maintaining a product that is both high quality and reasonably priced.

I asked my step-father, Dick Meiners, Founder of Pinetree Garden Seeds, to reflect on why he started Pinetree Garden Seeds: “I was motivated by the need for fewer seeds at a time, a lower price per packet, and helping home gardeners succeed.”

40 years later and the next generation at the helm, our mission is the same as when we started: affordable seeds that grow. We have developed a seed collection that is rich in hard to find seeds, heirlooms, and organics. A customer recently told us, "Some of the seeds I have been looking everywhere for you have!  And the price! I'm spending $4 on heirloom varieties that are $8 elsewhere! I can't wait to start my garden in the spring using your seeds and share pictures." Hearing feedback like this from our customers reminds us that why we are here.

With this simple idea of affordable seeds that grow, we have found that a profound magic happens. Today’s fast paced world melts away. Friends and families come together. Children learn to grow their own food, meals are shared, the warmth of the sun is felt, and the simple pleasures of time spent in the garden fortifies one’s soul.

As more and more households across the US find the value that comes with growing their own food, we look forward to many more years of our family helping to feed yours. Here’s to another 40 years and thank you for being part of our Pinetree family!

-Melissa, Jef, and the whole Pinetree Family