Mistletoe Meadows ~ About Us

Joe Freeman first came in contact with Fraser Fir Christmas trees as a teenager when he worked on a retail lot near his home in Greensboro, N.C. He was one of the high school boys who would help a family pick out its special tree and load it for the trip home. Those early years working on a NC Christmas tree lot made a big impression on Joe; he did not forget how important the Christmas tree experience was for families, what customers wanted in a tree, or the ingredients necessary for a successful retail stand.

Joe graduated in 1985 from N.C. State University in Raleigh with a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences and worked for several years with the N.C. 4-H Camping Program. He then decided to jump into North Carolina Christmas trees as a full-time occupation by first working as a crew member for a tree grower in Ashe County.

In 1988 at age 27, Joe "branched out" on his own, planted his first acre in Ashe County, and began Mistletoe Meadows farm. It takes approximately eight years for a tree planted in the field to reach a harvest height. During this time of extreme hard work with little return on investment, Joe developed a wreath business for additional revenue.

In North Carolina, the average age of a farmer is 56 and rising. Many of Joe's colleagues began tree farming as a hobby or side business while pursuing another career and then focused on trees full time in retirement. Joe was unusually young to start a farm from the ground up.

Freeman Family in front of the 2007 White House Tree, just before it was cut and loaded for its journey to Washington, DC.

Today, the farm has grown from a one-man operation into a multifaceted business. Although Mistletoe Meadows remains a small farm by industry standards, it has grown to include 130 acres in Ashe County, a plantation of Fraser Firs in Virginia, and other species grown for wreath greenery in Moore County. With Joe’s focus on superior-quality trees and greenery, Mistletoe Meadows farm has won numerous state and national awards through the years.

The Mistletoe Meadows team includes approximately 15 field crew employees, as well as a field manager and an office manager. Employee numbers swell to 50-plus during the busy Christmas season when wreath-making, tree harvesting, and shipping explode.

Mistletoe Meadows crew poses with the White House Tree.

Joe and Linda in front of the 2007 White House Tree.

"Although I keep repeating this, it is truly a big honor for my small farm, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to make the trip to the White House."

Joe Freeman and wife Linda Jones are greeted at the White House by Admiral Stephen Rochon.

If you ask Joe why he chose growing Christmas trees as an occupation, he will reply, "I have always wanted to farm. My parents and grandparents grew up on small family farms in rural North Carolina. My North Carolina Christmas tree farm offers a way for me to work outside in nature while building a thriving business with a positive economic future."

Factors that have contributed to Joe’s success include a strong work ethic and many lessons learned as an active member of 4-H.  The 4-H concepts of “To Make the Best Better” and “Learning by Doing” have had a tremendous influence on the development of Mistletoe Meadows.  And Joe always lists his wife, Linda Jones, as his No. 1 supporter. Linda receives credit for the name – "Mistletoe Meadows".

Myrtle Freeman making a wreath of Fraser Fir.

Although Joe's family does not live in the mountains, both friends and family travel from all over North Carolina to help during the holiday crunch.

The majority of the farm's revenue comes from selling trees and wreaths in bulk to wholesale customers such as retailers, garden centers, and fundraising groups. Joe has even shipped trees from Mistletoe Meadows to faraway locations such as Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

However, Joe has managed to maintain a link to those early days of selling trees at a retail stand. He operates a single retail lot open to the public during the holiday season near his home in Asheboro, N.C. "I don't get to spend as much time at the retail lot as I used to because our wholesale activities here in the mountains overlap, but I still go out to meet the families who have been buying my trees there for years,” he said.

“It's so much fun to make that personal contact with the customer taking your tree home, the tree you have worked so hard to grow over the years. To see families return each Christmas with their high school or college-age kids that you first met when they were in elementary school, that's the heart of my business: families making lifetime memories and celebrating their Christmas traditions with a real tree."

Joe Freeman is one of the youngest growers to provide the Official White House Tree. Being the 2007 National Grand Champion and personally presenting the first lady with a North Carolina Fraser Fir as the Official White House Christmas Tree is the highest honor a grower can achieve.

"To represent North Carolina and the entire Christmas tree industry is such an honor," Joe said. "I still can't quite believe it. Only one tree out of the 30 million-plus sold across America ends up being the Official White House Christmas Tree. The opportunity to meet Mrs. Bush in person and present her with a North Carolina Fraser Fir from the Blue Ridge Mountains is indeed a privilege. I also want to get the message out to consumers that real Christmas trees are an environmentally smart choice because they are a renewable and recyclable product."