Vanessa’s Journey from City Life to Farm Life

Hello again, Faithway Cattle family- Vanessa here! As promised, I’m back to tell you all a bit about my own journey into life on the farm with Stan.

I often think about how much life has changed since I married Stan. I grew up just outside of Atlanta, surrounded by the hustle & bustle and all the modern day conveniences of the city just a short drive away. I spent weekends cycling and I ran my own esthetician and nail business. The farm was a whole different world for me.

Stan and I actually grew up in the same town, but we never met until later in life. He had always wanted to farm full time, and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make it possible for us. After getting married in 2016 we started making changes to the farm. Shortly after, he suggested keeping a few cows for beef, and I told him, “If we’re going to do this, we need to be all in!” We kept 15 cows, and in 2019 we had our first harvest of beef. That was the start of our beef business, Faithway Cattle.

Our First Harvest

It was surely a blessing to marry Stan, but a bonus blessing to live on the farm and all that comes with it. It’s peaceful out here, but there’s also a daily grind, and I’ve grown to love both the quiet and the challenges.

Adjusting to the constant rhythm of farm life was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but it’s also one of the most rewarding. Living on a farm, it quickly became clear how deeply connected to the cycle of life and death we are. It’s amazing to see a cow from its very first steps, to watch it grow, and to be a part of its entire life. 

I’ll never forget our first harvest in 2019. We had a heifer calf with a sore foot that we decided to keep and raise ourselves instead of selling at auction. I jokingly named her “Dinner” to help me cope with what was coming. But when the time came, I couldn’t even look her in the eye. It was tough, but when we tasted the beef, I knew we were onto something special. And you know what? Our meat is even better now, with grass-fed, grain-finished practices and improved genetics. 

The Market Cafe – A New Chapter

When Stan and I started out, we had different ideas about where to take our beef. I wanted to ship it, but Stan was focused on getting our meat into local restaurants. I remember handing out packs of ground beef for a test run, but they only wanted to pay $2-3 per pound—and that just wasn’t going to work for us to be a sustainable business.

Doors kept closing on that path, but I always told Stan, “You know what, God has a plan.” I had a feeling that maybe one day, we’d have our own little Market Cafe. Two years ago, I got my cottage food license to start selling my gluten free home baked goods. Shortly thereafter, what started as just an idea for baked goods has turned into something much bigger

Originally, I thought I’d just bake and sell at the farmer’s market, which we spent three years going to. But then, last year, Stan and I took a big leap. We opened the Market Cafe and our burgers have taken off in a way I didn’t expect! People always ask what seasoning we use, and Stan tells them, “Just salt and pepper.” It’s not the seasoning that makes it special—it’s the quality of our beef, “a taste you’ll remember.”

We’re about to celebrate one year since opening the Market Cafe, and we’re so grateful for all of your support. It’s been a wild ride, but we wouldn’t have it any other way!

Thanks for being part of our journey. It’s truly a blessing to share our life and labor with you, and we can’t wait to see where this next chapter takes us.

Vanessa & Stan

Faithway Cattle Co.

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