‘one hundred percent the old-fashioned way’

fruitful orchard’s family approach is baked in

Stepping onto the grassy confines of the Fruitful Orchard, the aroma of apple cider, fresh donuts and fall leaves overtakes you. Families are seen chatting outside on a picnic table and analyzing trinkets in the gift shop, and friends share a laugh under the patio roof of the hard cidery. This is the essence of fall time in Michigan.

“In fall, there’s nothing better than an apple orchard,” says Dan Vannest, who owns the business with his wife, Tracey. “Especially if the fall colors are good, we’ll see many locals as well as out-of-town guests.” 

The Fruitful Orchard - located on M-61 five miles west of Gladwin - is a multifaceted place for fall time family fun. Open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from late August until the day before Thanksgiving, this destination offers something for everyone.

All of the orchard’s baked goods - pies, donuts, rolls and bread - are made daily from scratch. It features a “U-Pick” area for customers to choose their own apples and pumpkins, and a hard cidery with a tasting room. The orchard spans 45 acres with 2,600 apple trees, more than 30 different kinds of apples, and, on a busy Saturday, up to 700 dozen donuts and 50 gallons of cider are sold. 

The orchard’s success can be attributed to its cozy ambiance with an emphasis on family and friends. It is seen by many locals as the kind of place that families can enjoy from one generation to the next. Vannest says that having his business be family-focused is important to him and his wife, having bought the orchard in 2009 after previously living out of state for 15 years. 

For the proprietors, the most rewarding part of running the orchard is seeing peoples’ reactions and hearing of their enjoyment. “We love to interact with the public and see people happy when coming to the orchard,” Vannest says. “To hear customers talk about, ‘When I was a kid, I used to go to the orchard with my parents and now I bring my kids here,’ it’s very fulfilling to see people come and enjoy it and wait for us to open the following year.”

A sense of homegrown accomplishment and pride is baked into how the Fruitful Orchard conducts business. With all baked goods and cider grown, picked, prepared and baked on site, the orchard staff strives to put quality into its work while simultaneously producing quantities large enough to meet the demands of its customers. 

Realizing that they couldn’t compete with larger orchards’ prices, the Vannests rely on their high-quality, made-from-scratch products to sell themselves.

“So much of the industry has become commercialized, but we make everything from scratch,” Vannest says. “Because we’re making all of our products on our own, it’s done one hundred percent the old-fashioned way.”

To its customers new and old, the Fruitful Orchard represents everything desirable about autumn - especially in 2020. In a time when many normal activities are unavailable, the Fruitful Orchard thrives on having guests sit outside and enjoy the crisp fall air with a hot cup of cider. It is the perfect place for locals and out-of-towners, families and singles, and simply those who wish to escape the grind of the everyday world by enjoying some of the best things Michigan has to offer this time of year.

(To learn more about the Fruitful Orchard, visit www.michiganappleorchard.com or call 989-426-3971.) 

Orchard surviving and thriving in the age of COVID

Businesses around the world are struggling because of COVID-19 restrictions, a failing economy and a concern about leaving the house. But the Fruitful Orchard has been anything but struggling this fall season. 

“Business has been very positive this year,” Vannest says. “I think people wanted to get out, I think they were tired of being at home and we’re a local destination that’s cheap and easy to come to. Everybody has been extremely patient and happy to be out and doing something.” 

The orchard worked to be accommodating to CDC guidelines, giving customers a fun, safe experience. 

“We’ve gotten lots of outdoor seating so that people would be able to space out,” Vannest says. “We have a large tent set up and we’re hoping to get more soon.” 

New customers have been discovering the Fruitful Orchard, generating more new business than ever before.

“We can tell that we’re getting new customers and our Facebook page has been getting likes from new people,” Vannest says. “I’ve talked to some people in the area who never knew about our business, and they have been back three times since then.”