Weaver’s Orchard unveils expanded farm market
Walk into the larger Weaver’s Orchard farm market and it’s hard to miss the colorful display of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Blueberries, strawberries, peaches, tomatoes, cherries, Brussels sprouts and others captivate shoppers’ senses when they enter through the store’s new entrance.
In all, the Robeson Township business, which includes a popular pick-your-own fruit option in its orchards along with festivals through the year, recently unveiled the 1,550 square-foot farm market expansion to its customers. Work began on the renovations in March.
Kim’s Café, which has been serving coffee and espresso drinks since 2014, has been moved from an outdoor booth by the parking lot to right inside the market entrance.
“We’re loving it,” said Anita Harrison, farm market manager. “It’s so much bigger. So much more open. We can showcase our fruits better.”
Among the changes are a larger room to showcase locally grown fruits and vegetables, with better climate control, along with a cool case featuring items such as prepared salads. There is a room for bulk foods and potatoes, and a remodeled deli counter with grab-and-go meals.
Customers also will notice the wider aisles, which encourage browsing.
“It’s more open and more inviting,” Harrison said. “We feel that a person should be able to browse without having to keep moving.”
The decision to expand the market came during the coronavirus pandemic, Harrison said, as farm stores, classified as an essential business, became more popular with customers.
“We realized now was the time to do it,” she said. “There was an increase in sales during COVID.
It was amazing. We started curbside pickup because the market was too small and we could only allow a handful of people at a time due to social distancing.
“We figured, why wait? Let’s do it now. It was needed.”
Indeed, farm stands and other direct-from-the-farm businesses saw substantial increases during the pandemic, according to a study by Michigan State University’s agriculture extension.
“The interest continued through the season with direct farm marketers seeing an increase of 30 to 50% over 2019,” the study said. “This increase came through more customer visits and an increase in sales per customer. Direct farm marketers worked hard to quickly make significant and costly changes in their farms to keep customers distanced and safe. Pick-yourown operators also experienced an increase in customer activity of 20% or more. The increase in customer activity was so great for some pick-your-own farms that customers were required to make a picking appointment.”
Harrison said Weaver’s is also popular because it stocks products that are not only locally sourced, but are also hard to find at competitors.
“That’s the main goal is to promote other local businesses in the area,” Harrison said. “We don’t want to have the same thing as Giant, Weis or Redner’s. We want niche products.”