“We called up everyone we knew to come to help us plant. Billy grew up here and has worked in Rome and Atlanta all his life. We called old friends, fraternity brothers, neighbors. Everyone was eager to see what Billy was getting into now. They brought their families, and for two weekends, we planted 2500 vines.
We had lunch for everyone and coolers of drinks. It became a pretty social event. Kids were running around and helping play in the dirt. The fun translated into the harvest time as well.” Shannon says. “This past harvest, we saw a lot of interest from the community, and we had a food truck and t-shirts made. It was a shared experience of accomplishment and participation.”
Billy’s parents, Dennis and Jackie Newby, are a huge part of the operation. Shannon elaborates, “In the beginning, it was just the four of us. They have a house on the farm. Jackie would watch the kids when they were younger, and we had to work the fields. Now the kids are old enough to join us, Jackie and Dennis are out with us, working the vineyard together, cutting the grapes, and trimming the vines.
This has been an unexpected journey for Shannon, “I’m from Michigan and come from a family that would barely cut their own grass. When Billy convinced me we would move to Rome, it was initially a bit of a shock. I absolutely love it here. He keeps convincing me to grow things, and it keeps working like the grapes a lot more than I liked picking berries. Growing up, I was not tied to any place.
What really changed for me was when we planted the 2500 grapevines. There was a moment I realized I am not going anywhere. This was about the same time I got involved in Junior Service League, and I began to really lean into my relationships here. I began cultivating stronger friendships and engaged more fully with the people in my life. I realized the vines were mirroring my metaphoric growing roots. I have always trusted Billy. Although I never considered myself a farmer, I have always trusted Billy, and here we are.”
Their operation made a dramatic shift in 2019 when the Newby’s had over twenty-one tons of grapes to sell. The usual buyers negotiated a price that simply didn’t justify the work. Billy made the decision then and there, “We are going to process our own harvest instead of relying on other outfits. Three weeks later, he finished the construction of a cold storage facility on the back of our shop, and we invested in our crusher and de-stemmer and all the things we needed to start making juice from our grapes.” Shannon recalls.