Rice Fruit Farm ! KEITH O’CONNOR NATE BLAIS
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ice Fruit Farm in Wilbraham is much more than its name implies. “We call it the quintessential New England farm stand. But we’re also a restaurant, ice cream shop and a place you can come to buy convenience items like milk, eggs, juice and more. We’re a destination spot today for folks near and far,” said co-owner Anthony Maloni, III. A Wilbraham institution for over 100 years, Rice Fruit Farm was founded in 1894 and for many years was operated by Jesse L. Rice, a third generation owner of the farm, who after his son Wayne died in 2007, had no family to continue to run the business. When he later became ill, Rice reluctantly put the property up for sale in 2009 and died the following year. Considered by many as a landmark in town serving regulars who came for breakfast and lunch and to purchase fresh fruit and baked goods, Rice Fruit Farm
provided first jobs for many of the town’s teenagers. Maloni and his brother Dominic eventually purchased the property in November 2012 and re-opened the business in April 2015. “We were originally looking for a new spot to sell our ice cream and figured the site would be a good location. Also, with our real estate and business backgrounds we knew that we could figure out the rest of the business that was once housed on the farm and make a real go of it,” Maloni said. Today, Maloni noted he feels more like a “steward” of Rice Fruit Farm than its owner and he said he is “okay with that.” “I had visited Rice Fruit Farm as a customer before it closed down and at the time didn’t realize how important it was to the community. Everyone seems to have a story about the farm - how they always visited the farm stand with their
grandfather or how they would stop to pick up donuts after church on Sunday or memories of holding their first job here,” Maloni said. “It’s as if people take ownership of the building when they visit us, and they are proud to have Rice Fruit Farm remaining in the community. Because it meant so much to so many people, we wanted to keep the same name and preserve as much as possible the original feel of the property. So, in our restoration which took two and a half years, we restored the 1924 barn to its original beauty. And by the time we opened our doors again to the public, they were welcomed with a mix of the old and the new and every day we hear someone saying ‘thank you’ for what we did,’ and it feels good,” he added.
From the kitchen and bakery “On the weekends it is often standingroom-only with customers waiting for a GOLOCALMAGAZINES.COM 25
