The Roots

This year marks 30 years of farming.

Long before Vela Farms existed, Sara and Mark were already living the farm life. Gardening, canning, dehydrating, raising animals, filling freezers. Their farm sits along the Guadalupe River in an old growth pecan grove — land that has been in Sara's family for generations, bought with money a Civil War doctor sent home from the battlefield.

In 1998, they lost their house in a flood. It was devastating. But God provided. They rebuilt. That experience never left them — and it became part of why feeding families facing hardship would one day feel so personal.

Where It All Came From

Chin-high in the flax fields.

This is Fred Smith Jr. — Sara's father — at 4½ years old, standing with his grandfather in the flax fields on their farm near the Guadalupe River. This photo ran on the front page of the Victoria Advocate. That little boy grew up to be a cowboy his entire life.

Sara grew up on that same land. The same soil that fed her family for generations is the same soil that grows the food Vela Farms brings to your table today.

The Beginning

One conversation changed everything.

Every year Sara bought 100–150 heirloom tomato starts from Lon Smith at Devereux Gardens in Victoria. He kept asking what she did with so many. She'd bring him jars of salsa. In 2012, he suggested she become a vendor at his Spring Fling market.

She said no. "I just make stuff for my family. I don't know anything about food." He told her she knew more than she thought — she had teenagers and fed half the football team at her house. For weeks, the thought kept coming back. God kept working on her.

Finally she said — "OK. But this isn't gonna work."

With Lon's help she got a commercial kitchen, labels, jars, certification, and 30 flavors of jelly in just a few weeks — because tomatoes were out of season. They sold out at the very first show. The community showed up with so much love that Sara quit her bookkeeping job.

The Road Years

Boy, were we in for a ride.

Sara and Mark hit the road — farmers markets, fairs, and festivals all across Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and beyond. It was tough. It was fun. Long drives, early mornings, heavy boxes.

At one fair — Taste of Houston — they did so poorly they didn't even make gas money for the trip home. Standing in that booth, wondering if this was all a mistake.

That's when they met a product buyer from HEB. They became friends. He saw something in them. He encouraged them to enter the contest.

The Growth Years

From jellies to a full manufacturing kitchen.

Six products in HEB stores across Texas. Vela Farms on the Square — a retail store in the heart of Victoria. The business that started with 30 flavors of jelly at a farmers market had grown into a restaurant, casseroles, catering, subscription boxes, and a full manufacturing kitchen feeding Victoria families every single day.

Along the way, Vela Farms became something else too — a place where people who don't always fit the mold find a home. Several team members work alongside Sara with autism, hearing impairment, and speech challenges. They've figured it out together. John has been with Vela Farms for nearly 10 years. He is family.

Then COVID arrived in 2020. Sara's copacker didn't make it. The hard decision was made to pull Vela Farms products out of HEB. It was one of the most difficult choices of the journey — but Vela Farms kept going.

Giving Back

20,000 pounds of fresh produce. 18 months. Zero hesitation.

Their farm along the Guadalupe River produced more than the business needed — so they farmed it for the food bank. Twenty thousand pounds of fresh vegetables donated in eighteen months. Squash, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes — grown in that rich river-bottom soil and given away freely.

This is who Vela Farms has always been. The business was never just a business.

The Mission

Table of Hope is born.

In November 2024, when food stamp reductions began affecting families across Victoria, Sara asked a question she couldn't ignore: What about the families who have nothing at all?

That question became Table of Hope — four wholesome, shelf-stable meal kits made by hand in the Vela Farms kitchen. Each one feeds a family of four for $5. Just add water. No refrigeration. No prep. No waste.

Since launching with zero marketing, 1,500 meal kits have already been distributed through one local church partner. On April 1, 2026 — Vela Farms' 14th anniversary — Table of Hope goes public.