Roberts Creek, British Columbia
Shaffer
Farms
We lay a lot of eggs. Not all of them hatch — but hopefully a couple do. Shaffer Farms incubates ideas and brings them to reality.
A Partnership of Gerald & Alex Shaffer
"Look once and you'd think we were a farm. Look twice and you'd think we were a business incubator — because we are. Look a third time and realize we are both."
The Egg Basket
Every Brand Started
as an Egg.
Each idea is laid, incubated, and — if it's strong enough — hatched into something real. Here are the ones that made it out of the nest.
Just Gerald Magazine
Travel & lifestyle field guide
EST 2023
Just Gerald Radio
Premium jazz & lounge for venues
EST 2024
Just Gerald Books
25+ titles across every genre
EST 2025
Alex Ceramics
Slip, glaze & molds made locally — handmade stoneware from Roberts Creek
EST 2023
Squintwerks
AR app — point and watch the world come alive
EST 2022
Wildlife Wise Canada
National wildlife coexistence resource
EST 2024
Just Gerald Music
Record label
EST —
Just Gerald Seaweed
Shoreline to shelf-stable seaweed products, harvested & processed in Roberts Creek
EST —
Just Gerald Songs
Music publishing
EST —
Just Gerald Images
Photography & imagery
EST —
Shaffer Crate & Block
Crate packaging, woodwork & the Cratemakers program
EST —
Shaffer Media
Cameras, digital tools & publishing
EST —
Just Gerald Hello
Answering service
EST —
Shaffer Farms Financial
Asset management, daily stock trading (TD Waterhouse, USD) & collectible liquidation
EST —
The Structure
One Farm.
Many Fields.
Shaffer Farms is a Canadian partnership between Gerald and Alex Shaffer — and a real research farm. We trial grass varieties for natural drinking straws, ferment seaweed for organic fertilizers, and teach other farms to grow straw grasses as buyer of last resort. Every brand in our universe operates as a DBA under this single farm entity.
From award-winning innovations to ceramic foundries, from AR technology to wildlife education — everything we do lives under one roof. One set of books. One story. The farm is the foundation; the brands are the harvest.
For Accountants, Lawyers & Media
The Ledger
| DBA Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Just Gerald Magazine | Travel & lifestyle field guide |
| Just Gerald Radio | Premium jazz & lounge for venues |
| Just Gerald Books | 25+ titles across every genre |
| Alex Ceramics | Slip, glaze & molds made locally — handmade stoneware from Roberts Creek |
| Squintwerks | AR app — point and watch the world come alive |
| Wildlife Wise Canada | National wildlife coexistence resource |
| Just Gerald Music | Record label |
| Just Gerald Seaweed | Shoreline to shelf-stable seaweed products, harvested & processed in Roberts Creek |
| Just Gerald Songs | Music publishing |
| Just Gerald Images | Photography & imagery |
| Shaffer Crate & Block | Crate packaging, woodwork & the Cratemakers program |
| Shaffer Media | Cameras, digital tools & publishing |
| Just Gerald Hello | Answering service |
| Shaffer Farms Financial | Asset management, daily stock trading (TD Waterhouse, USD) & collectible liquidation |
All entities operate as DBAs under Shaffer Farms — a Gerald & Alex Shaffer Partnership, Roberts Creek, BC, Canada.
The Doonesbury Band: On The Phone
The Music Studio
An archive of one-take, song-to-phone recordings spanning nearly seven years. Original compositions, simple tunes, recorded once — the way they came out. Gerald is a registered member of FACTOR (Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings).
638
Original Tracks
& counting
908
Followers
on SoundCloud
7+
Years Recording
since ~2019
FACTOR
Member
Canadian music fund
Listen on
SoundCloud
The Doonesbury Band: On The Phone — one-take recordings, original compositions. 638 tracks, 908 followers. Roberts Creek, Canada.
Registered With
FACTOR
Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings — a private non-profit that provides financial assistance toward the growth and development of the Canadian independent music industry.
Music operations under Just Gerald Music, Just Gerald Songs & Shaffer Media — DBAs of Shaffer Farms, Roberts Creek, BC.
Just Gerald Images
The Gallery
Gerald's photography was selected by the board of the Gibsons Public Art Gallery for a month-long solo exhibition — a juried honour reserved for work the gallery considers worthy of public showing. Photography operations run under Just Gerald Images, a DBA of Shaffer Farms.
Solo Exhibition
Gibsons Public Art Gallery
A month-long solo photography exhibition, selected by the gallery's board. The Gibsons Public Art Gallery is a respected community institution on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, with exhibits chosen through a juried selection process.
Photography & Imagery
Just Gerald Images
Photography, imagery, and visual content creation. From editorial shoots for Just Gerald Magazine to fine art exhibited in public galleries — the camera is as much a tool of the farm as any other.
Photography operations under Just Gerald Images & Shaffer Media — DBAs of Shaffer Farms, Roberts Creek, BC.
Our Digital Footprint
The Universe Online
Alex Ceramics
alexceramics.com
Local Legend
The Great Dragon Lady
A small sampling of her eggs
It is often talked of how the Great Dragon Lady lay her head down for the last time near our farm. Her bones are still outlined in the rocks along the shore.
Her head is what we call Whyte Islets. Her body rests under the water, except for her hips that make the flat rocks. And all about her are her granite eggs — round, rock-looking eggs, waiting to hatch.
The dragon in our sky is her spirit, still watching over her eggs — and ours.
Own a Dragon Egg
Granite • Crated • Legendary
Take home one of the Great Dragon Lady's granite eggs, hand-selected from the shores near Shaffer Farms and nestled in a handmade wooden crate by Shaffer Crate & Block. Every egg supports our various causes — from Cratemakers employment to Wildlife Wise education.
Starting at
$49
In a handmade wooden crate
Bookings & Appearances
Book Just Gerald
Gerald Shaffer is available for live music performances, keynote speaking, festival appearances, and media interviews. With a career spanning jazz, folk, and world music — and a background in search and rescue, wildlife, and entrepreneurship — he brings a rare depth to any stage or screen.
Live Music
Jazz, folk, and world music — solo or with The Doonesbury Band
Speaking & Keynotes
Entrepreneurship, wildlife coexistence, creative business
Festivals & Events
Available for multi-day festivals, markets, and cultural events
Media & Interviews
Print, podcast, radio, and television
Highlights
FACTOR Member
Funded by the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings — Canada's premier music industry body.
Doonesbury Band
Performing original jazz and folk compositions. Recordings on SoundCloud with thousands of streams.
Just Gerald Radio
Curator and host of a 24/7 jazz & lounge internet radio station serving venues and listeners worldwide.
25+ Books Published
Author across fiction, non-fiction, travel, and children's categories under Just Gerald Books.
Gibsons Public Art Gallery
Month-long solo photography exhibition, juried and selected by the gallery board.
New York Gift & Toy Shows
Veteran exhibitor with 2,000+ wholesale accounts and 5 trade shows per season at peak.
Welcome to
Our Universe.
Whether you're here as a partner, a professional, or just curious — we're glad you found us.