A stroll through the Ontario Orchards store in Oswego Town shows all that is great about agriculture.
The
Ouellette family transformed a chicken and pig farm that started on 132
acres back in 1952 and grew it into one of the most diverse farming
enterprises in Central New York. In fact, it’s a one-stop shop, a place
folks can visit year round (every day but Christmas) to buy just about
everything they need.
And that everything, by the way, is pretty much all local. Can you say fresh?
“Customers
are amazed at the selection, the variety and the completeness of the
store,” said owner Dennis Ouellette. “They can come here any day and
find something they need.”
The
farm today is run by Dennis, his wife June and their daughters, Kathy
and Laurie. Dennis, at 67, still is at the farm or store most days
tending to one thing or another.
But
back in 1952, when Dennis was just 6, his parents Dennis and Estelle
had the chicken and pig operation, along with the acres and acres of
fruit trees in Sterling that took in the cool moist breezes from nearby
Lake Ontario.
Dennis
remembers as a young boy selling apples and strawberries on a roadside
stand atn state Routes 104 and 104A. “This planted a seed,” he said.
“How about U-pick apples for $1 a bushel. At this time it became
apparent retail sales were more profitable than wholesale and
processing.”
The
Ouellettes set up retail operations in Fulton, Watertown, Ogdensburg
and across the road from the current store on Route 104. Soon, they
expanded into the Regional Market in Syracuse. Then the farm extended
its sales to Long Island during the fall and Christmas seasons.
“The
New York City market was more profit,” Dennis Ouellette said. “It meant
prepping during the week and traveling to New York Friday after school
and returning Saturday evening.”
The
Ouellettes have always had a strict business plan – they want to expand
to provide their produce to as many people as possible, but they also
remember not to overextend or overexpand.
This
was quite evident after June and Dennis married in 1965, after
realizing in their senior year at Hannibal High School that they “would
become more than friends,” Dennis said.
The
beginning of the present-day Ontario Orchards came after the marriage,
when Dennis and June decided to offer more than just apples. They got
into producing other fruits, vegetables and Christmas trees.
They
added a Fall Jamboree and U-pick operation. This, Dennis said, not only
helped with profits, but brought people out to the farm so they could
see the operation and learn a little about where their food comes from.
On
35 acres, the Ouellettes grow corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, squash
and pumpkins. They have 30 acres of Christmas trees. About 90 acres are
apples.
After
the old two-stall horse barn was converted into the present-day store
in 1966, Ontario Orchards sold not only its own vegetables, fruits and
trees, but also brought in product from other nearby locales.
Dennis
Ouellette said he gets nursery products from local and out-of-state
growers and also grows many varieties in Ontario Orchards own nursery
behind the farm market.
He
sells Tender Loving Compost, made from cow manure on the Fessenden
Family Dairy Farm in King Ferry, Cayuga County. He gets parsnips from a
farmer in Port Byron. He sells New Hope Mills pancake products from
Cayuga County. Honey comes from Snow Valley Honey Farms in Hannibal.
New
York maple syrup in his store comes from Croghan, in the state’s
largest maple-producing county, Lewis County. All onions and potatoes
come straight from the rich, black muck of Oswego County.
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| Ontario Orchards presses cider yearround. Photo by Lisa Hollenbeck |
He
sells Hinerwadel’s salt potatoes, Dinosaur BBQ sauce and Hofmann franks
and coneys from Onondaga County, Croghan bologna from Lewis County,
Grandma Brown’s baked beans from Mexico, Sillman Jams from Dickinson
Center, Franklin County, Turkey Joints from Nora’s Candy Shop and olives
from Williams’ Homegrown Garlic, both from Rome, Oneida County,
Morgia’s pasta and sauce originally from Watertown, Buck’s Seasoning
from Mallory in Oswego County and Italian sauces from Canale’s in
Oswego.
Even
his refrigerated case has local products, such as cheese from various
places like Macadam from St. Lawrence County, Heluva in Sodus, Wayne
County and Yancey’s Fancy in Genesee County, Hudson Farms eggs from
Elbridge, Onondaga County and milk from Hudson Dairy in Fulton.
The
farm store also has a full bakery, an outgrowth of pies made in June’s
home kitchen and sold at the retail sites in the early years.
“David
and George (two farm workers) came to work on the farm on weekends and
said ‘how bout you make some apple pies with those drops?’” Ouellette
said of the apples that drop to the ground.
He said June began making the pies and others delivered them to the retail sites. The customers loved them.
“Then
one day, a deer jumped out in front of us and all the pies went all
through the car,” Ouellette said. That was when the full bakery in the
farm stand was born.
“The
expansion of the farm, farm market, cider mill, bakery and nursery was a
direct result from the increases in customers,” Ouellette said.
Dennis credits many of the new ideas at Ontario Orchards to his daughters and other employees.
“Not
only did the two girls, but also the very young staff had a lot of new
energy and ideas,” he said. “And with this in mind, what was the horse
barn in 1966 has become one of North America’s most complete
family-owned farms and farm markets.”
And
while many farm markets are open only in the summer and fall when the
crops are harvested, Ontario Orchards is open year round. This was an
unheard of idea a few years ago – but Ouellette said it works at Ontario
Orchards.
“Our variety allows us to be open seven days a week,” he said. “We really don’t have a season here.”
The store is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m .in the winter, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the spring and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in summer.
“And we press our own cider 12 months a year,” Ouellette said.
In
addition to expanding the hours, Ouellette said he has always thought
“outside the box” on how to improve the business and bring in more
customers.
He
knows he can’t make a living off the person who might drive up from
Syracuse once a year to visit Ontario Orchards. He needs to draw repeat
customers in throughout the year – who them that the store is more than
just a place to come get apples.
“Advertising
and promotions at specific times of the seasons has extended the
customer base out 100 miles,” he said. “Each season is a whole new
energized season and each time you have a new season, you come up with a
new idea.”
What
he wants to do more of in the future is product sampling. He began a
couple of years ago with cheese, but is tinkering with offering other
products for people to try. He might even have some cooking demos to
show people how to prepare things he sells.
For
example, he mentioned parsnips, a root vegetable that many people think
of as a white carrot. He said people will look at them at the store,
sometimes pick them up, but put them back because they aren’t sure what
to do with them.
Ouelette
said he also plans to improve the facilities, work on upgrading the
website (tasteofcny.com) and growing the ever-popular Fall Jamboree.
“There
are not many of us that are this complete,” Ouellette said. “In this
day and age, everyone wants local, fresh, homegrown, completeness.”
A
fourth generation, Dennis and June’s grandchildren Taylor and Nichole,
now are involved in the business, so it looks as though Ontario Orchards
will be serving its customers for a long time to come.
“Entrepreneurship
and self employment is great, but a very difficult challenge,”
Ouellette said. “Fortunately adjustments are made and met. Ontario
Orchards wants to extend its many thanks for everyone’s support and
ideas. The three generations – Dennis and June, Laurie and Kathy and
Taylor and Nichole, look forward to being a part of your lives and the
community.”
