Crunican Orchards

Autumn perfect time to shop local A cornucopia at Crunican Orchards

TOP FROM LEFT Peter, Alf & Phil Crunican

By Ellen Ashton-Haiste

Harvest season is here and the folks at Crunican Orchards on Richmond Street North have been busy getting the autumn produce ready to market. “Along with the apples, we have pumpkins and squash that we grow ourselves and fresh fruit from local producers, peaches and plums and more,” says Philip Crunican, who operates the business with his brothers Peter and Alf.

The farm, near Elginfield, has been run by four generations of Crunicans for more than a century. The first trees were planted by Philip’s grandfather in 1910, and it’s still very much a family affair with mom Bernice, and sisters Barb and Anne helping out.

“To continuously have apples for 100 years or more on the same farm is something,” Philip acknowledges. “We would certainly be one of the oldest orchards in this region.”

The 30-acre orchard, with a density of 400 trees per acre, produces more than 15 apple varieties, including Macintosh, Empire, Ida Red, Delicious, Fuji, Mutsu, Ambrosia and the ever-popular Honeycrisp. The latter is definitely a consumer favourite, Philip says.

For many years, a major focus for the orchard was the wholesale market, accounting for some 70 to 80 per cent of sales. But that was beginning to falter when Philip and his brothers took over a decade ago, so they made the decision to transition to selling through their own storefront, buoyed by the buy-local trend.

The onsite store was opened by Philip’s father and uncle in 1950. Today, it’s become a go-to shop for consumers across the region, and even as far afield as Kincardine and Owen Sound. It is frequented by shoppers looking to support the local economy and boost health and nutrition by consuming fresher farm-to-plate foods.

The market store carries a wide variety of products from area enterprises. These include honey, jams, pasta, cheese, dried beans, maple syrup and related items, and, of course, apple products and cider.

It’s an evolving element for Crunican, Philip says. “We’ve always supported local businesses. Some we’ve been selling for 40-plus years, and we’re always looking to expand.”

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