Born and raised in Wisconsin, Joe and Jenny Fahey never thought about farming as a career. Joe finished his nuclear medical technology internship and Jenny began her career as a CPA when they married and settled in the area. As the family began to expand with Abby, then Charlie, Joe started a medical staffing company. However, it was the demand of dual careers and active children that created an opportunity to sell the staffing company and re-prioritize. During this time, Joe’s chemistry background propelled him to try growing apple trees organically in the backyard. He was told multiple times it could not be done in the Midwest. With that, Joe was set on proving them wrong. He planted, organically managed, and cropped 14 trees. In only a couple of years, he produced the most amazing tasting fruit. The obvious next step was to think bigger.
In 2009 Joe and Jenny purchased a portion of the current 80 acre property. Like most Wisconsin cropland, it had historically been planted in a corn/soy rotation. There were no nutrients or infrastructure, but plenty of rocks! And so it began..
Here is our story, 14 years and growing
Here is a timeline of how we’ve grown to become one of the largest certified organic apple orchards in the Midwest.
The day it all began…
APRIL 23, 2010 Here is blind ambition in a picture. A horribly plowed corn field, a very small tractor, a borrowed tree planter, and enough family to help plant about 3,000 trees. After a third were planted, Mother Nature unleashed a 3 inch rainstorm. Two trucks and three trailers had to be pulled from the mud.
“It was our first major lesson in the difficulties of farming. At times it’s Mother Nature vs. the farmer… that day Mother Nature won.”
— JOE FAHEY
Was it a sign?
JULY 11, 2011 As Joe and Papa built the first sign holder and planting area (which was destroyed by a confused driver several years later), our business began. We put up the sign before we even had a driveway, a temporary building, or a place to sell apples.
And then came the apples
AUGUST 27, 2011 Organic Zestar! came first, followed by the Organic Honeycrisp crop. We picked everything into crates and had to take the apples to our home to wash them. Our garage became the apple washing set up. We had to sell out of apples weekly in order to have enough space in our makeshift refrigerator to keep the next variety cool.
Under the tent, on the path to the orchard
AUGUST 31, 2011 Here it is: day one of apple selling. We had two white tents set up on the gravel path to the orchard. We had been up until 1am washing apples and putting out yard signs that said “Come to the Orchard.” At ages 13 and 9, Abby and Charlie were marketers from the beginning.
A Devastating Year
SUMMER 2012 After our first selling season under tents in 2011, we were excited to build on what we learned. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans. The 2012 year was a complete loss. Most people think it was the severe drought that summer, but it was a significant freeze in May of that year that wiped out our crop. Luckily, the trees survived and we planted more.
The first infrastructure, our apple hut
SEPTEMBER 1, 2013 In order to work through a longer apple season with many more trees in production, Papa and Joe hand-built this incredible apple hut. Back in 2013, it had the aesthetic that our current barn has today. The hut was built in our neighbor’s barn. One quiet Sunday morning, we drove it down Highway Q. This apple hut was used for two more years.
Bigger space, just in time
JULY 24, 2015 We built our apple retail barn using hand drawings our family created. We wanted lots of windows, a working cupola, and of course a hay loft cover. Charlie came up with the idea for working barn doors to open and close during the season. We always knew the right shade of white would be right. The barn was finally finished and doors were installed the day before apple season that year. The interior was farm fresh, but at least we were enclosed. The apple trees were really starting to come into production and our retail and mechanical barns were key to washing, cooling and storing the crop.
Peck & Bushel Baking Company
AUGUST 17, 2016 After months and months of staining and painting each board, the barn was ready. With running water, restrooms, heating, and cooling, we were on our way! The apple trees continued to produce and we had room to do more, like cider and apple cider doughnuts!
If you build it, they will come
JUNE 12, 2017 With a completed retail space only filled a few weekends a year, we decided to offer the open space up for private events. Who knew our first event would be for a corporate sponsor for the US Open golf tournament a few miles away? Since then, we’ve had an amazing array of Dinners in the Orchard, weddings, and other corporate events.
Ten plus years and growing…
TODAY We are thrilled to celebrate over 14 years of apple plantings, over 14 years of apple harvesting, over 14 years of kids getting older, and over 14 years of seeing family, friends, and our community every fall.
“Thank you to our incredible community for continued support year after year. We are very excited for the upcoming 14th apple season!”
-Joe, Jenny, Abby, and Charlie Fahey