Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Morris.
Hi Kelly, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Our story began in December 2017 with what many would call a chance encounter. We met on Bumble, but it quickly became clear that our connection ran much deeper than a dating app. From our very first conversations, we bonded over our love of food, gardening, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and the dream of building something meaningful together.
At the time, we were both on very different career paths.
I had spent more than 15 years building a career in marketing, communications, nonprofit leadership, higher education, healthcare, and sustainability. My work focused on helping organizations tell compelling stories, strengthen brands, and create lasting community impact.
Andrew brought an entirely different but equally valuable perspective. A lifelong entrepreneur with a passion for gardening, hydroponics, and hands-on problem solving, he had spent years helping growers succeed while developing an extensive knowledge of plant nutrition, hydroponic systems, controlled-environment agriculture, and specialty gardening. He possesses the kind of practical expertise that comes from years of working directly with growers and solving real-world cultivation challenges.
Together, we realized our skills complemented one another perfectly.
Andrew understood how to grow almost anything.
I understood how to build organizations, create educational programming, develop partnerships, and share those stories with the community.
What began as a relationship quickly became a partnership built around a shared mission.
Food has always been central to both of our lives. My maternal grandparents were farmers, while my paternal grandparents owned restaurants, giving me an appreciation for both growing food and bringing people together around the table. Andrew shared that same belief that growing food changes lives—not simply by feeding people, but by creating confidence, independence, and stronger communities.
That shared vision eventually led us to purchase Savannah Hydroponics & Organics. While many people see it as a garden center, we saw the opportunity to create something much bigger: a place where people could learn, gather, build businesses, and reconnect with the food they eat.
Since then, our partnership has continued to grow into the Savannah Food Hub—an ecosystem of businesses and initiatives dedicated to strengthening our regional food system. Together we’ve developed Savannah Hydroponics & Organics, Tasty Farms, Bloom Flower Farm, Port City Kitchen, Wild Seed Market, and the G.R.O.W. nonprofit, each serving a unique role in supporting growers, makers, food entrepreneurs, and families throughout Coastal Georgia.
Along the way, life has also shaped our purpose. We’ve celebrated incredible joys, experienced profound loss, welcomed two beautiful sons, and learned firsthand how important community can be during life’s most difficult seasons. Those experiences have strengthened our commitment to creating places where people feel welcomed, supported, and empowered to learn.
Today, Andrew continues to lead the cultivation, growing systems, and technical expertise behind many of our educational programs, while I focus on community engagement, culinary education, marketing, partnerships, and strategic growth. Together, we’re building more than businesses—we’re building a movement centered on local food, lifelong learning, and community resilience.
At the heart of everything we do is one simple belief:
“When people learn how to grow food, prepare it, and share it with others, they cultivate something far greater than a harvest—they cultivate healthier families, stronger communities, and a more resilient future.”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No—our journey has been filled with extraordinary highs and heartbreaking lows, and those experiences have profoundly shaped both who we are and why we do what we do.
One of the most defining moments of our lives was the loss of our first son, Max. Losing a child is something no parent can truly prepare for. It changed us forever. In the midst of unimaginable grief, we learned how fragile life is and how important community, compassion, and hope can be when everything feels uncertain.
While grief never completely disappears, life also has a remarkable way of bringing healing alongside heartache. We were incredibly blessed to welcome our sons, Jackson and Cooper, into our family. Watching them grow has been one of the greatest joys of our lives. They remind us every day why we’re working so hard to build something meaningful—not just for our own family, but for future generations.
Our family has also been challenged in different ways as we’ve helped care for an aging parent. Balancing the responsibilities of entrepreneurship while navigating the realities of aging, changing family dynamics, and caregiving has required patience, grace, and perspective. It’s reminded us that every season of life presents new opportunities to serve the people we love.
Professionally, building multiple mission-driven businesses has never been easy. We’ve invested everything we have—our time, our savings, our energy, and countless hours of hard work. We’ve worn every hat imaginable, often working long days and late nights while raising young children and continuing to dream bigger than our circumstances.
Yet every challenge has reinforced our “why.”
The loss of Max taught us not to postpone the life we’re called to live.
The births of Jackson and Cooper reminded us that hope has a way of growing, even after unimaginable loss.
Helping care for an aging parent has deepened our appreciation for creating communities where people of every generation can feel connected, supported, and valued.
Those experiences have shaped the Savannah Food Hub into more than a collection of businesses. We want it to be a place where families make memories, children discover where food comes from, entrepreneurs find encouragement, neighbors become friends, and people experience the healing power of gathering around good food and meaningful work.
When people ask why we’re so passionate about building community through food, gardens, and education, the answer is simple: we’ve experienced firsthand how quickly life can change. We don’t take a single day for granted. Every class we teach, every garden we help someone plant, every event we host, and every relationship we build is our way of creating something that outlives us—a legacy rooted in service, resilience, and hope.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
People often think we’re in the gardening business, or the food business, or the event business.
The truth is, we’re in the business of helping people reconnect—with their food, with nature, with one another, and with the confidence that comes from learning something new.
At the center of everything we do is the Savannah Food Hub, an ecosystem of businesses and community initiatives designed to strengthen our regional food system from seed to table. Our family of organizations includes Savannah Hydroponics & Organics, Tasty Farms, Bloom Flower Farm, Port City Kitchen, and the G.R.O.W. nonprofit. While each has its own purpose, together they create opportunities for education, entrepreneurship, wellness, and community connection.
Savannah Hydroponics & Organics serves as the foundation of that mission. What began as a specialty hydroponic and organic gardening store has evolved into one of Coastal Georgia’s leading destinations for gardeners, homesteaders, small farmers, educators, and anyone interested in growing food. We specialize in organic gardening, hydroponics, edible landscaping, soil health, seed starting, regenerative growing practices, and hands-on education that makes gardening approachable for beginners while still offering advanced knowledge for experienced growers.
Beyond the retail space, we’re passionate educators. Throughout the year we host workshops, demonstrations, guest speakers, community markets, youth programming, culinary experiences, and seasonal events that bring together people from all walks of life. Whether someone is growing tomatoes on an apartment balcony or launching a farm-based business, we want them to know they belong here.
One of the initiatives we’re most proud of is Port City Kitchen, our shared commercial kitchen and food business incubator. We recognized that many talented food entrepreneurs have incredible recipes but lack access to licensed commercial kitchen space or the business resources needed to grow. By creating an affordable place for culinary entrepreneurs to produce, learn, and scale their businesses, we’re helping strengthen the local food economy from the inside out.
We’re equally proud of the G.R.O.W. nonprofit (Gardening Resources Offering Wellness), which expands access to gardening education, fresh food, and self-sufficiency through community partnerships, outreach programs, and educational initiatives. We believe gardening is about much more than growing vegetables—it’s about improving physical health, supporting mental wellness, reducing food insecurity, and creating stronger communities.
Perhaps what sets us apart most is that we don’t believe in operating as individual businesses. Every project we create is intentionally connected. A customer might first visit us for vegetable seeds, attend a gardening workshop, purchase locally grown produce from Tasty Farms, enjoy a meal created in Port City Kitchen, visit Bloom Flower Farm for a bouquet, and later launch their own business with our support. We love creating those connections because thriving local food systems depend on collaboration, not competition.
Our greatest accomplishment isn’t measured by sales or square footage. It’s seeing families harvest their first garden, watching children discover where food comes from, celebrating customers who turn hobbies into businesses, and building a place where people feel welcomed, inspired, and capable.
If there’s one thing we’d want readers to know, it’s this: we’re not simply growing plants—we’re cultivating people, strengthening community, and helping build a more resilient local food system, one seed, one meal, and one relationship at a time.
What makes you happy?
The older I get, the more I’ve realized that happiness isn’t found in the big milestones—it’s found in ordinary moments shared with the people you love.
I’m happiest when my family is together. Some of my favorite days are the simplest ones: watching Jackson and Cooper pick vegetables from the garden, cooking dinner with Andrew using ingredients we’ve grown ourselves, or spending an afternoon outside without feeling rushed. Those are the moments that remind me what all the hard work is for.
I also find tremendous joy in teaching. There’s something incredibly rewarding about watching someone who has never grown a tomato leave one of our classes excited and confident enough to start their first garden. Seeing that spark—the moment when someone realizes, “I can do this”—never gets old.
Creating spaces where people connect also makes me incredibly happy. Whether it’s a Wild Seed Market, a workshop, a community dinner, or simply watching strangers become friends while talking about plants, I love seeing people slow down, share ideas, and build relationships. In today’s world, those authentic moments of connection feel more important than ever.
Professionally, I’m energized by building things that didn’t exist before. I love taking an idea that lives only on paper and turning it into something real that serves our community. Whether that’s launching a new program, creating opportunities for local entrepreneurs, or dreaming up the next phase of the Savannah Food Hub, I find purpose in creating things that will hopefully outlast me.
Losing our son, Max, changed my definition of happiness forever. It taught me that life isn’t guaranteed and that joy shouldn’t be postponed for “someday.” Because of that experience, I try to appreciate the little things that might otherwise be overlooked—a family meal, a successful harvest, laughter from my boys, a beautiful flower opening, or the satisfaction of helping someone discover a new passion.
At the end of the day, what makes me happiest is knowing that the work we’re doing is helping people build healthier, more connected lives. If someone leaves our farm, our garden center, or one of our events feeling more hopeful, more confident, or more inspired than when they arrived, then I know we’re doing exactly what we were meant to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://savannahhydro.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savhydro/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savannahhydro
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/savannah-hydroponics-and-organics
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@savannahhydro7941
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/savannah-hydroponics-and-organics-garden-city
- Other: https://savannahfoodhub.org
