Crystal Organic Farm

About us

Having grown up in Austria and currently living in Belgium, Helen Dumba made the decision to move to the United States in 1980. She sold her health food store in Belgium and purchased 175 acres in Newborn, GA.  Her 4 teenage children eventually joined her in the States. Because of her enthusiasm for organic food, Helen immediately began cultivating the land to grow food for her family. As her garden produced more than enough food to nourish her family, Helen began selling the organic produce to Sevananda Food Co-Op and other retailers in the Atlanta area.

In the meantime, Helen's son, Nicolas Donck, is finishing up an International Business Degree at the University of Georgia. Setting out into the corporate world in his suit and tie, Nicolas soon realized that this was not the path for him.  After a bit of introspection, he discovered that his calling was from the soil and in 1994 created and began Crystal Organic Farm (named for the abundance of quartz crystals found in the soil).  Nicolas raised his family and 2 sons, Gillen & Jesse, on the farm from the time they could walk. 

Many years later, Nicolas hired a “newbie” farmer, Jeni Jarrard, to help part-time on the farm. Over the years that followed, these two farmers fell in love with each other and connected over their shared passion of healing the soil while growing the best food possible. Among numerous contributions, Jeni helped to move the farm into the “digital age” with a website, a social media presence, podcast interviews and, most recently, The Online Farm Store. In addition, Jeni’s work as a homeopath and herbalist propelled them to begin growing fresh medicinal herbs which are now offered nationwide by shipping in The Farm Apothecary.

In the past twenty five years, Nicolas has purchased the farm from his Mother and expanded to 40 acres of USDA certified organic land that specializes in vegetable, fruit, medicinal/culinary herb and flower production. The farm became USDA certified organic in 1996, making it one of the oldest certified organic farms in the Southeast. In 2008, Helen and Nicolas received the Land Stewardship Award from Georgia Organics, which honors an individual or individuals who have contributed greatly towards the organic agriculture movement in Georgia.

Nicolas is a founding member of Morningside Farmer's Market which has been serving the Atlanta area for over twenty years as the only certified organic market in the city. Crystal Organic Farm currently supplies many of the top restaurants and direct to consumer retailers like Fresh Harvest and Garnish & Gather in the Atlanta Metro area. In addition, The Farm offers an online store that not only sells their produce, but sources eggs, honey, flowers, meats, dairy, cheese and more from local farmers. The farm is very committed to giving back to the community, so any excess food is donated to local food banks and churches. 

Nicolas & Jeni recognize that the success of the farm lies not only in their hard work, but also in the continued support from long time employees, family, friends, other farmers, customers and the local community. Thank you!