Deep Rooted
Evangeline Stacy, Owner of Komoni
Deep Ties to Farming
By Greg Lovell
No one could have predicted how a vacation trip to the Virgin Islands in 2012 would lead Tiffany Cade to meet her husband and ultimately re-plant herself on the farm back home in Westby, Wisconsin.
Tiffany and her husband Jimmy Fackert own Deep Rooted, a certified organic farm located near Westby that specializes in flowers, tomatoes, microgreens, and vegetable and herb seedlings.
Deep Rooted sells over 30,000 pounds of tomatoes yearly–and all within a 60 mile radius.
“Products are harvested and delivered the very next day to ensure our customers are receiving the highest quality of produce available,” said Tiffany.
Deep Rooted sells their products on site, online, and to local grocers and restaurants. They also offer a cut flower subscription service similar to a CSA.
Since opening in 2013, Deep Rooted has been partnering with The People’s Food Co-op, bringing tasty and nutritious produce to the area for well over a decade.
Returning to Their Roots
Tiffany and Jimmy met in 2012 while on vacation in the Virgin Islands. After the trip, they stayed in touch and eventually started dating despite being miles apart. Jimmy was in Detroit finishing school while Tiffany was in Chicago working for a CSA farm and spearheading urban agriculture projects in the city. Both were interested in organic food production.
Then tragedy struck one year later with the sudden passing of Tiffany’s stepfather.
With Tiffany’s family needing extra support back home in Westby, both Tiffany and Jimmy found themselves at a crossroad. Ultimately, they decided to relocate to the 20-acre farm her stepfather had owned just outside of Westby.
At the time, Tiffany’s stepfather was growing annual bedding plants for sale locally, so the property already featured four greenhouses. Soon, the vision for Deep Rooted Organics gained momentum and the business became official, with Jimmy and Tiffany eventually marrying later on.
“Our first year we grew just a few different types of tomatoes and had a garden center,” Tiffany recalled. “We transitioned the farm to be certified organic and put up two outbuildings and a high tunnel.”
Deep Rooted continued to expand and diversify, adding an orchard in 2023 as well as additional varieties of tomatoes and cut flowers.
Core Values in Bloom
Tiffany and Jimmy both had long valued organic farming, so the transition to a certified organic farm marked a significant step in turning those values into action.
Today, Deep Rooted grows 40 different varieties of tomatoes and a wide variety of bedding plants. They offer the area’s largest selection of Certified Organic vegetable and herb seedlings. Amidst planting, tending, and harvesting, Deep Rooted also offers classes, workshops, and other events on the farm to expand their ethos and help others learn.
“We love what we do,” Tiffany said. “There is nothing quite as gratifying after a full day's work than knowing that you were part of putting healthy, nutritious, delicious food on another family’s table.”
Speaking of families, Deep Rooted will host their 10th Annual Tasty Tomato Festival on August 31st later this summer. The Tasty Tomato Festival is a fun, family-friendly, end-of-season event celebrating a love for tomatoes and thriving local food communities. The event features tomato tasting, live music, greenhouse tours, children’s activities, local vendors, and more. Visit the Events page on Deep Rooted Organics’ website (https://www.deeprootedorganics.com/) for more information.
Tiffany at the Tasty Tomato Festival
Future Growth
Despite having a successfully established business, Tiffany and Jimmy show no signs of slowing down as they eye future possibilities.
“In the short term we plan to continue to produce high quality produce and grow our local cut flower market,” said Tiffany. “We hope to build out a commercial kitchen on the farm and develop a value added line of canned products.”
“Over time, we intend to incorporate more regenerative agriculture practices into our farm and increase our perennial food crops. We would also love to integrate some livestock into our farm system,” Jimmy added.
Through it all, the couple relishes the challenge of running an organic farm.
“Farming is a lot of work with very long days, but it is rewarding,” Tiffany said. “No day is exactly like the previous day or the next day. We love that farming is always evolving and there is always so much to learn.”
Any way you slice it, Deep Rooted Organics is a testament to the power of working with a purpose in mind–not just in terms of tomato production, but for the wellbeing of the broader community.
This article is also available to read in our Summer 2025 edition of The Garlic Press!