From Richmond to Bees & Trees
Long before there was a Bees & Trees Farm, Jeff and Teresa Gregson were both lobbyists living and working in Richmond, Virginia. They met in 1994, married in 1999, and eventually merged their two lobbying firms into one. Together, they spent many rewarding years representing clients in the nonprofit, healthcare, sports, energy and ABC industries.
But as much as they enjoyed their careers, they found themselves increasingly drawn to life outside the city. They began searching throughout Virginia for a farm that could serve as a weekend getaway and, someday, a place to retire.
In 2013, they found it.
The property was called “Crazy Joe’s Christmas Tree Farm,” and Jeff and Teresa fell in love with it almost immediately—although they weren't quite sure what they were going to do with the roughly 3,000 Christmas trees growing on it!
What began as a weekend retreat quickly became a place that was harder and harder to leave on Sunday afternoons. Eventually, Jeff and Teresa sold their Richmond home and made the move to Elkwood permanent.
They renamed their new home Bees & Trees Farm—a fitting combination of the Christmas trees already growing on the property and Teresa’s desire to raise honeybees.
Learning the Farm
Jeff and Teresa were fortunate to have the friendship and guidance of the farm's previous owners, who generously taught them how to care for and grow Christmas trees. They even volunteered to return that first Christmas season to help the new owners sell their first trees.
For several years, Jeff and Teresa continued planting new Christmas trees. Eventually, however, they made the decision to stop. Christmas trees require 10 to 12 years to mature, a lot of maintenance and trimming and with retirement approaching, planting trees that far into the future made less sense. Just as importantly, protecting the honeybee hives on the farm meant avoiding the insect and disease sprays often used in Christmas tree production.
The trees that brought them to the farm, however, had already helped point them toward something entirely unexpected.
From Christmas Trees to The Farm Store
In 2013, with the help of the former owners, Jeff and Teresa opened a small Christmas store for the holiday season. They enjoyed it so much that before long they were asking themselves a new question:
How could we turn this into a year-round farm store?
They found their answer by gradually expanding what they offered. After obtaining an ABC license, The Farm Store began carrying local Virginia wines and hard ciders, specialty foods, gifts and other locally made products, along with products from Bees & Trees itself.
Over the years, the farm's offerings continued to grow. Today, visitors to The Farm Store will find Bees & Trees honey, eggs, beeswax candles and other handmade products alongside a carefully selected assortment of Virginia-made, specialty foods, gifts and other farm favorites.
What had begun with 3,000 Christmas trees was slowly becoming something much bigger.
An Unexpected New Chapter
In 2020, Jeff and Teresa began construction on a private suite at the north end of their farmhouse. The original plan was for Teresa's mother to move to the farm and live with them.
Sadly, she passed away before the suite could be completed.
After careful thought, Jeff and Teresa decided to reconfigure the space as a private guest accommodation and named it The Garden View Suite because of its quaint garden surrounding the suite and swimming pool and the beautiful views just beyond.
Completed in the fall of 2021, the suite opened for short-term stays through Airbnb and quickly became another rewarding part of life at Bees & Trees. The Garden View Suite has now earned Airbnb's 'Guest Favorite' designation, and Jeff and Teresa have been recognized as Superhosts every quarter since becoming eligible.
Its success inspired yet another idea for the farm.
And Then Came The Gazebo
Jeff and Teresa had long believed that the beauty and peacefulness of Bees & Trees was something worth sharing. Following the success of The Garden View Suite, they began developing a small, intimate event venue centered around a gazebo and adjoining reception area.
They purchased a gazebo in the fall of 2022 and the landscaping began in the spring of 2023. A paved walkway followed, and in 2024 the necessary electrical work was completed.
In August 2024, The Gazebo at Bees & Trees Farm hosted its first wedding.
From the beginning, Jeff and Teresa wanted the venue to be different from large, expensive wedding venues. They chose to limit weddings to 50 guests, creating a setting designed specifically for couples who want something smaller, more personal and more relaxed.
They have also intentionally kept their venue fees affordable, believing that a beautiful wedding shouldn't have to come with an overwhelming price tag.
A Farm That Keeps Evolving
Bees & Trees wasn't created from a grand business plan.
It grew one idea at a time.
A search for a weekend getaway led to a Christmas tree farm. The Christmas trees led to honeybees. A seasonal Christmas shop grew into a year-round farm store. An unfinished family suite became a favorite place for guests to stay. And sharing the beauty of the farm eventually led to weddings at The Gazebo.
More than a decade after Jeff and Teresa first drove onto a little Christmas tree farm in Elkwood and fell in love with it, Bees & Trees Farm continues to be a work in progress—and that's part of what they love most about it.
But as much as they enjoyed their careers, they found themselves increasingly drawn to life outside the city. They began searching throughout Virginia for a farm that could serve as a weekend getaway and, someday, a place to retire.
In 2013, they found it.
The property was called “Crazy Joe’s Christmas Tree Farm,” and Jeff and Teresa fell in love with it almost immediately—although they weren't quite sure what they were going to do with the roughly 3,000 Christmas trees growing on it!
What began as a weekend retreat quickly became a place that was harder and harder to leave on Sunday afternoons. Eventually, Jeff and Teresa sold their Richmond home and made the move to Elkwood permanent.
They renamed their new home Bees & Trees Farm—a fitting combination of the Christmas trees already growing on the property and Teresa’s desire to raise honeybees.
Learning the Farm
Jeff and Teresa were fortunate to have the friendship and guidance of the farm's previous owners, who generously taught them how to care for and grow Christmas trees. They even volunteered to return that first Christmas season to help the new owners sell their first trees.
For several years, Jeff and Teresa continued planting new Christmas trees. Eventually, however, they made the decision to stop. Christmas trees require 10 to 12 years to mature, a lot of maintenance and trimming and with retirement approaching, planting trees that far into the future made less sense. Just as importantly, protecting the honeybee hives on the farm meant avoiding the insect and disease sprays often used in Christmas tree production.
The trees that brought them to the farm, however, had already helped point them toward something entirely unexpected.
From Christmas Trees to The Farm Store
In 2013, with the help of the former owners, Jeff and Teresa opened a small Christmas store for the holiday season. They enjoyed it so much that before long they were asking themselves a new question:
How could we turn this into a year-round farm store?
They found their answer by gradually expanding what they offered. After obtaining an ABC license, The Farm Store began carrying local Virginia wines and hard ciders, specialty foods, gifts and other locally made products, along with products from Bees & Trees itself.
Over the years, the farm's offerings continued to grow. Today, visitors to The Farm Store will find Bees & Trees honey, eggs, beeswax candles and other handmade products alongside a carefully selected assortment of Virginia-made, specialty foods, gifts and other farm favorites.
What had begun with 3,000 Christmas trees was slowly becoming something much bigger.
An Unexpected New Chapter
In 2020, Jeff and Teresa began construction on a private suite at the north end of their farmhouse. The original plan was for Teresa's mother to move to the farm and live with them.
Sadly, she passed away before the suite could be completed.
After careful thought, Jeff and Teresa decided to reconfigure the space as a private guest accommodation and named it The Garden View Suite because of its quaint garden surrounding the suite and swimming pool and the beautiful views just beyond.
Completed in the fall of 2021, the suite opened for short-term stays through Airbnb and quickly became another rewarding part of life at Bees & Trees. The Garden View Suite has now earned Airbnb's 'Guest Favorite' designation, and Jeff and Teresa have been recognized as Superhosts every quarter since becoming eligible.
Its success inspired yet another idea for the farm.
And Then Came The Gazebo
Jeff and Teresa had long believed that the beauty and peacefulness of Bees & Trees was something worth sharing. Following the success of The Garden View Suite, they began developing a small, intimate event venue centered around a gazebo and adjoining reception area.
They purchased a gazebo in the fall of 2022 and the landscaping began in the spring of 2023. A paved walkway followed, and in 2024 the necessary electrical work was completed.
In August 2024, The Gazebo at Bees & Trees Farm hosted its first wedding.
From the beginning, Jeff and Teresa wanted the venue to be different from large, expensive wedding venues. They chose to limit weddings to 50 guests, creating a setting designed specifically for couples who want something smaller, more personal and more relaxed.
They have also intentionally kept their venue fees affordable, believing that a beautiful wedding shouldn't have to come with an overwhelming price tag.
A Farm That Keeps Evolving
Bees & Trees wasn't created from a grand business plan.
It grew one idea at a time.
A search for a weekend getaway led to a Christmas tree farm. The Christmas trees led to honeybees. A seasonal Christmas shop grew into a year-round farm store. An unfinished family suite became a favorite place for guests to stay. And sharing the beauty of the farm eventually led to weddings at The Gazebo.
More than a decade after Jeff and Teresa first drove onto a little Christmas tree farm in Elkwood and fell in love with it, Bees & Trees Farm continues to be a work in progress—and that's part of what they love most about it.