Orchard History
Our orchard has been a feature of NE Ohio since 1980, when it was planted by the Simmons family starting with the rows of trees to the North, shown in the picture above. The original trees were planted between 1980 and 1983, with 13 different varieties. Today there are 27 varieties, with 4 more planted, and about 4500 trees.
In the early 1990s, the property was purchased by Roy and Debbie Brant who had a vision of turning the orchard into a fall destination for the community. After the purchase, they started by selling
apples from their garage, eventually constructing the cooler to store the apples longer and extend the season. The front porch of the cooler shown to the left is where the market is now. For those familiar with the orchard, the picture is taken from the “picnic area”, with the wonderful trees that stand tall now just newly planted.
Throughout the ’90s, trees were added, the market was closed in, a bakery was constructed, and the orchard began to take shape as a fall destination for Ashtabula County. Cider donuts and cider slushies were introduced, and soon became famous throughout the community. School tours, hay rides, and other activites were common, and guests today still have fond memories of the orchard dogs that greeted them.
The Brant’s had a unique find in the Boomer and Boschert cider press. Built in 1895, the machine was used until 2019 to press our award winning cider. To the left you can see the press being installed in its current location before the building was even complete. It is rumored that this press secretly used along the railroad in NE Ohio wine country for making wine during prohibition.
In 2013, after building the orchard into a true gem in the community, the Brant’s decided it was time to retire and advertised the business for sale. Looking for a local business opportunity, and hoping to keep this wonderful asset of Ashtabula County thriving, Brian and Jenn Diehl purchased the orchard. On April 1, 2014, the deal was closed.
In the last ten years, we’ve added trees, expanded the market, expanded the bakery, built a 
playground, added walking trails, and added more seating areas, but have made sure to keep the nostalgic and family atmosphere that make the orchard so special. We’ve been fortunate to have amazing staff with a true passion for the business and community.
We welcome you to visit us from August to Thanksgiving!