our farm partners
working with local, organic farmers, we are able to:
- Help you know the source of your food
- Juice the freshest, most delicious produce, usually juiced within a couple weeks of harvest
- Helping organic farmers increase their harvest because we will buy it no matter what it looks like
- Reduce our carbon footprint by sourcing close to our facility
- Have a relationship with our farmers and give them more of the credit they deserve for our overall health.
To glorify God by facilitating "family fun on the farm" and feeding families.
Produce:
Apples: Year Round
The Country Mill was established prior to the Civil War. The red brick house just south of the farm market was built around the years 1867-1871. Over a century later, in 1971, Bernie Tennes was reading the newspaper at his home in East Lansing. In it, he saw an ad for an 80 acre farm in Charlotte. Having grown up on a farm himself, he was naturally interested. He drove out to see the farm and decided to make an offer. He, and his wife Ann Tennes bought the farm and moved their family to the orchard. The previous owner, Clifford McIntire, taught the couple about operating the farm, growing apples, pressing cider and making donuts. In 2003, Bernie and Ann's youngest son, Steve , and his wife Bridget moved back to Michigan to take over operation of the family farm. They currently live in red brick house on the farm with their family. Over the years, the farm has grown along with the Tennes family to 158 acres which supports the lives of multiple family members and neighbors.
Since 2006 we have dedicated a portion of our orchard to growing certified organic fruit.
By working with Michigan State University we have been able to not only improve the quality of our organic fruit, but also expand the organic offerings to our customers. Currently, we offer a wide variety of uniquely named organic apples, peaches, apple cider, apple chips, apple butter, applesauce and organic vinegar.
Established in 2007, Molter Family Orchards grew out of a vision Aaron Molter had to farm organically on land that had been farmed by four generations of his family before him in Southwest Michigan. As the land had been allowed to rest for many years, Aaron was able to begin farming right away and the land was certified organic in 2008.
Produce:
Cucumber, Kale: June - October
Apples: September - April
Molter Produce is a certified organic grower in Southwest Michigan, run by a fifth generation farmer and his family. If it's good... we grow it!
Molter Family Orchards is operated by Aaron, his wife, Kari, along with their young daughters, Helen and Pearl. They work year-long to maintain healthy soil and harvest quality produce. They grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables which they sell wholesale to numerous markets, juicers, and online organic distributors. The Molter's are excited to also offer a large selection of fruits and vegetables to the local community through shares in their CSA program!
Aaron and Kari are proud to be committed to food safety and GAP certified since 2015. They belong to such organizations as the Michigan Apples Association, the Michigan Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Association (MACMA), the Michigan Organic Foods and Farm Alliance (MOFFA) and the Michigan Peach Sponsors. They have also completed the Food Safety Program for Cider Makers, required by the state of Michigan. They have been USDA Certified Organic through MOSA (Midwest Organic Services Association) since 2008. In 2016, Aaron was elected to the board of the Benton Harbor Fruit Market and Kari was appointed as a board member for the Michigan Agri-Women. Both are very excited to serve their farming community as board members!
Molter Produce has dedicated many years to learning the art of growing organic fruit in Southwest Michigan. We are proud to offer organic fruit such as popular apple. They also grow a variety of organic vegetables, such as peppers, squash, cabbage, green beans, cucumber, eggplant, and kale.
We are a family farm located in Hart Michigan where we predominantly focus on raising vegetable crops for the fresh and processed markets.
Produce:
Carrots
In west Michigan’s Oceana County, Oomen Farms was founded by John C. Oomen, who started growing asparagus and cherries. Several members of the third generation are still involved in the farm today.
The diversified farm’s growing season starts with growing asparagus crowns or rootstock, then asparagus spears, carrots, zucchini, green beans, winter squash and rutabagas. They also grow wheat and corn for crop rotation. There are other business interests: Oomen Farms owns one-third of Michigan Freeze Pack in Hart. Members of the family also own and operate an organic vegetable farm.
But Oomen Farms is best known for its asparagus and carrots.
Coke Farm is dedicated to providing delicious, healthy, organic produce not only as a service to its customers, but also for the betterment of the environment and the health of its hard-working employees.
Produce:
Celery, Romaine, Kale, Parsley, Cilantro: Year Round
It all started with a quarter-acre of strawberries founder Dale Coke planted on his property in Watsonville, California in 1980. Interested in organic farming for its environmental and social impacts, he was an instrumental member in California Certified Organic Farmers’ early days.
By 1981, Coke Farm became one of the first CCOF’s certified farms in the Central California chapter, fueling a movement that created a higher standard for organic farming for others to follow.
Dale Coke is a fifth generation Californian with a farming family background. He cultivated a wide network of like-minded peers and customers through the California region and nationally together with his sister Madelene, establishing the reputation of Coke Farm as a source for specialty crops and innovative products.
Dale met Christine Cattin, a Swiss architect, in 1988, and they married in 1991. She joined the company a few years later and was instrumental in developing partnerships with both key growers and customers.
As consumer demand for organic and specialty produce grew, business flourished. In 2007 Olivier Griss, Christine’s son, joined the sales team to help with an emerging need for local family farms to find access to national markets and to get help with post harvest handling and other grower services. The need to provide market access for organic farms in the region became increasingly apparent and became the driving mission for the Coke Farm team.
Today Coke Farm is a thriving food hub, providing knowledgable representation in the market place and equitable and sustainable services to our 70+ grower partners so their farms will be able to thrive into the future. We strongly believe that this emerging next generation of new growers is vital to our food system. We provide crop planning, post harvest handling, sales, packaging and compliance services at our state of art cooler in San Juan Bautista, California.
Underscoring its legacy of work in organic farming, Whole Foods named Coke Farms a 2018 Supplier of the Year for “commitment to organic farming, pioneering the organic produce industry and representing a diverse group of local fruit and vegetable growers,” noted in the retailer’s announcement.
Dale and Christine were also the recipient of the 2009 Eco-Farm Conference Sustie Award, which honors those who have been actively and critically involved in ecologically-sustainable agriculture and have demonstrated their long term, significant contributions to the well-being of agriculture and the planet.”
We pride ourselves in providing our customers premium quality and excellent service
Produce:
Carrots: Year Round
Kern Ridge Growers is a year-round shipper of California carrots. Our history dates back to the early 70’s, when we started packing Cello carrots under our Kern Ridge label. Our ownership consists of six individuals who have a combined carrot experience of well over 100 years. Most of our carrots are grown in the rich, sandy loam soil near the mountain range at the southern end of the fertile San Joaquin Valley.
Our passion is like the maple tree itself: it grows stronger with each passing year.
Produce:
Maple Syrup - Year Round
Paul Anderson started Anderson’s Maple Syrup in 1928. He began by making syrup as a hobby, to put something sweet on the family’s breakfast table. When his son Norman was old enough, he began helping make syrup and eventually the two ran the business together. Paul and Norman grew the business and now, three generations later, Paul’s grandson, Norman’s son, Steve Anderson carries on the family tradition.
In the mid-1930s, Paul began selling the entire year’s supply of syrup to Hoves, which would later become Lunds, and is now part of the Lunds & Byerlys chain. Paul eventually added other routes through parts of Wisconsin and into Northern Minnesota. The syrup distribution business grew and in the late 40s, Paul and Norman decided there was greater opportunity to be had in the maple syrup business than in farming. They took a giant step, sold all their cows and jumped head first into the maple syrup business. They knew this was a huge risk, but they worked hard and built the business that thrives today.
Steve has been in charge of Anderson’s Maple Syrup, Inc., with much guidance from his father Norman, since 1997, when he graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. Steve has great plans just as his father and grandfather did, to make Anderson’s Maple Syrup, Inc. the best company that it can be.
Even though this may sound impressive, Anderson’s Maple Syrup is still a small, family-run business. With Steve heading up operations and sales, and his sister Christine in charge of food safety, Anderson family members are involved in every aspect of the business. Steve’s wife Alison and his children Ben and Mya actively help as support staff. The packaging and delivery of Anderson’s Maple Syrup is handled by a small group of dedicated employees. At 90 years old as of June 2018, Norman Anderson still plays an important role as mentor.