In 1984 Gideon (Deon) Dekkers moved to the United States from Cape Town South Africa with his wife Lorraine and three children Andre Michelle and Deon. His first jobs were working small landscaping projects which led to larger construction jobs. Utilizing his background in agriculture from South Africa and motivated by his passion for trees he soon realized the need for large container grown trees in Texas. Based on research from Texas A&M he decided to look for land for tree production in East Texas. In 1991 while driving to look at land in Athens he noticed a farmer opening a gate along Highway 19 and had what he now calls a Godly inspiration to stop and talk. That spot was where he purchased the original 55 acres and named it AM&D Tree Farm denoting the initials of their children. The farm now known as Twin Lakes Nursery has grown to 2000 acres with 1000 being under tree production. Deon still oversees every part of the operation while his oldest son Andre handles sales and the younger son Deon manages production.

Adding on to his love of agriculture Deon established Twin Lakes Ranch in 2016. The ranch includes 1000 acres of Coastal Bermuda hay production and raises Brangus commercial cattle.

At Twin Lakes Nursery the goal is to continue to grow and increase the quality and commitment for both present and future customers. Our friendly and knowledgeable sales staff will be happy to assist you in all your tree and agricultural needs.