GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The dirt is no different.
When the apples ripened this fall, Moelker Orchards reopened as Farmhaus Farms, after the co-owners of a Hudsonville-based cider company bought the century-old orchard.
"We really want people to feel like they're being welcomed back to their favorite orchard," said Megan Odegaard, co-owner of Farmhaus Cider Co. "It's exactly the right fit."
In January, Moelker Orchards—founded in 1907—listed its 30-acres of farmland for sale, following the retirement of its owners.
For years, Odegaard and her spouse, John Behrens, had been searching for an orchard to incorporate into their cider company.
"We wanted it for the farm, for the trees," said Behrens, also a co-owner of Farmaus Cider Co. "Let's try and save this and keep it as a family-owned place."
While competing with developers to close, the husband and wife spent the spring pruning trees and prepping for the fall harvest, even as they didn't officially own the property.
"It was a huge risk," Odegaard said. "A lot more paperwork than you really ever thought."
Now fully in their possession, Farmhaus Farms sends portions of its apple crop fifteen minutes down the road to its cidery, all while running a bakery, market, and the occasional hay ride.
"What it all comes down to is getting people to understand where their fruit, where their food comes from," Behrens said.
While agriculture runs in both Behrens' and Odegaards' families, the former accountants weren't farmers by trade before the orchard's purchase.
"We've worked around farms," Behrens said. "But calling us farmers before this would definitely be an exaggeration."
In 2022, a significant apple crop stocked area packing houses, setting up the following year to be a trial for farmers, especially first-timers.
"There's been hardships through learning," Behrens said.
But according to the Michigan Apple Commission, it's another bumper year with an estimated harvest of 32 billion bushels of apples, more than a third more than the 24 million bushel average.
"Every day, we're counting our blessings," Odegaard said.
The new owners want to take care of the farm's classics while valuing innovation.
This fall, Odegaard added apple cakes to the bakery display—a Norwegian family recipe—and future harvests will include additional heirloom apples—a variety used in the making of cider.
But even with a change in ownership, after more than a century of business, family has been baked into the foundation.
"There's people that have been doing this for a couple of generations," Behrens said.
Farmhaus Farms is open 8:00am - 5:00pm on Saturdays, 7:30am - 6:00 during weekdays, and closed on Sunday.
