Sherry's Shrub Story

Sherry didn’t just start Shrubadee, she’s been building toward it her entire life.

Raised between central Illinois and the Northwoods of Wisconsin, Sherry grew up in the kind of households where food wasn’t just bought, it was grown, raised, canned, and shared. Gardens weren’t a hobby. They were dinner. Livestock wasn’t a trend. It was a way of life.

And that mindset stuck.

Even when life took her far from the farm.

Sherry spent 16 years in the U.S. Air Force, serving as an in-flight refueler (yes, the kind where you’re fueling planes mid-air… casual). It was there she met her husband, and together they built a life that would eventually bring them back to Wisconsin. But her time in the military also gave her something else: perspective.

“When you’re deployed, you don’t get to choose what you eat,” Sherry says. “You start to realize just how much that choice matters.”

That realization stayed with her, and it grew.

After leaving the military in 2003, Sherry and her husband built a successful financial planning business. But alongside that, she kept coming back to what grounded her most: raising animals, tending soil, and growing food the right way. Chickens wherever she could. Gardens whenever possible.

Because for Sherry, it’s never just been about food.
It’s about where it comes from, and what it does to you.

She believes deeply that soil health, animal health, and human health are all connected. That what you put into the land comes back to you. And that if you take care of it properly, it takes care of everything else.

That belief led her to Spooner, Wisconsin, where she founded Chickadee Hills Homestead and began building something bigger, something intentional.

Starting with just a few pigs, Sherry now raises heritage hogs in a way that prioritizes the land over shortcuts. Her farm has grown, but only as much as the land can sustain. Because in her words:

“Either your farm is getting better or it’s getting worse. Every decision you make impacts your soil, your water, your animals – and your own health.”

That same philosophy carries into everything she creates, including Shrubadee.

What started as small-batch experiments in her kitchen – fruit, botanicals, vinegar, and a lot of curiosity – quickly became something more. A way to take everything she believes about food, flavor, and farming and put it into a bottle.

Shrubadee isn’t just a drink. It’s a reflection of how Sherry lives.

Thoughtful ingredients. Real flavor. Nothing wasted. Nothing rushed.

And yes.. just enough tang to keep things interesting.

Because at the end of the day, Sherry believes something pretty simple:

“I think one of the most wonderful things that a person can do in the world is have a garden or have a farm. What’s better than taking good care of animals, raising good food for people to eat, and working with biodiversity on your farm? I can’t think of anything in the world better to do than that.”

Thank you, Sherry. We agree.