Grün is German for “green”. Our story is one that revolves around our family history and our desire to rehabilitate and preserve a piece of nature.
Claudia Schaefer, born to an Italian American father and a German mother, was raised in Mexico City. She was educated in both the German and American Schools of Mexico City. When it came to selecting a name for the ranch, using a German word was second nature. In fact, you’ll find our calves registered with cute names from the English, Spanish, and German languages.
Schneewittchen is German for Snow White. We call her Schneevy.
Derick Schaefer was born to a Midwestern family in Dallas, TX. In high school, he and his father moved to a house on a 26 acre maize tract that was leased to a local farmer. This experience exposed him to long walks with the dogs, quiet evenings, and countless hours of fishing on the neighbors cattle tanks. Though they returned to the city a year later, the experience created a desire to revisit this lifestyle again someday. With a last name like Schaefer, incorporating a German word into the ranch name made perfect sense. As a University of Texas graduate, the addition of Texas Longhorns was a slam dunk.
Derick & Claudia Schaefer
Both Derick & Claudia are officers in corporate America who for the past 22 years have retreated over the weekends to Scroggins, TX. In 2016 they decided they wanted to expand their footprint in the area and do something meaningful for nature and animals. The Grün Ranch is the result. Their 16 year old son Sebastian has also been a regular on the ranch learning how to work the land and the herd.
