Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/418083
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER DECEMBER 2014 35 Country Mill owner will head Michigan State Horticulture Society. by Richard Lehnert C entral Michigan, a hundred miles from the protective infl uence of Lake Michigan, isn't the best place to grow fruit. But it's a terrifi c place to sell it, especially to those looking to buy in a farm environment rather than in a supermarket. That's the business Steve Tennes runs. He and his family have what marketers call "an agritourism desti- nation," but Steve says his customers see it as "the farm." Located off the beaten path outside Charlotte, a small city about 20 miles from the capital city of Lansing, the Country Mill draws customers to the only such place in Eaton County and one of the few in central Michigan. It's a feeding frenzy there every fall. Tennes is incoming president of the Michigan State Horticulture Society. And while he's an outlier from the main fruit production area, he's been a leader in the fruit industry, especially among the direct marketers. Tennes came into the business in an unusual way. "My dad was an agricultural engineer with the USDA's automation unit at Michigan State University. He wanted something for us kids to do on weekends," he said. So in 1971, Bernie Tennes and his wife, Bridget, bought an old fruit orchard and started developing the Country Mill. Steve was the youngest of four siblings, but he and Bridget are now sole owners. His two brothers, and their children, are still involved (they also have off-farm careers) in what has become a large enterprise employ- ing several family members and 60 people seasonally. Both Steve and Bridget were offi cers in the military and have college degrees. Steve has both a bachelor's in electrical engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a master's in horticulture from Michigan State University just 20 miles away. College and the military took them away from the farm for eight years, during which time they decided that fruit production and marketing was what they really wanted to do. Over the years, the number of attractions at the Country Mill has multiplied: Pick-your-own apples, blueberries, peaches, and pumpkins; the Orchard Barn, 10,000 square feet of space for weddings and other events; a petting zoo; a playground for kids; the Orchard Express Train; the farm market offering cider, donuts, and pies; a gift shop; a corn maze; a cider mill and bakery with its processes open for viewing; a cider bar; a winery and tasting bar; hard cider; school tours. Tennes thinks direct markets like his play a huge role in selling Michigan fruit. "We're the face of Michigan apples," he said. "They come to our orchard once or twice to buy Michigan products, which solidifi es their brand loyalty for shopping the rest of the year. "It's like a visit to Disneyland. You go to Disneyland once, but you continue to buy Disney stuff." Tennes manages the orchard. His brother Chris works in the orchard on weekends and Chris's wife, Kira, does payroll. Several of their children work in the market. Brother Michael and his wife, Diana, and their chil- dren handle another part of the enterprise: Attending fi ve KERIAN MACHINES, INC. 1709 Hwy 81 South, P.O. Box 311 Grafton, ND 58237 701-352-0480 • Fax 701-352-3776 sales@kerian.com • www.kerian.com GENTLE: Separates without damaging peaches, apples, mushrooms and fresh tomatoes ACCURATE: Precisely grades grape tomatoes, cherries, nuts, and small berries, maintaining that accuracy for larger products including cantaloupes and pineapple FAST: Thirteen standard models custom- designed to meet your needs sort from 1,000 lb/hr to 100,000 lb/hr SIMPLE: Effective but simple design provides a rugged, low-cost, low-maintenance machine at a high value to our customers. It can even be used in the field! VERSATILE: Specialized rollers allow for the accurate sizing of round products (potatoes, onions, and citrus), long products (carrots, russets, and cucumbers), and irregular products (bell peppers, jalapeños, and garlic) FRUIT AND VEGETABLE KERIAN SIZER MARKET Dzϔ ǤǤǤǤ ǫ ϔǫdz — Steve Tennes $''!%$&' $ &%%'"%' !#"$&' ' 1. V-8 engine with power of a V-10 2. Better fuel economy 11.6 gal/hr (5.4 liquid injection) 3. Less maintenance–no filter lock-off, no vaporizer and no mixer 4. Instantaneous engine start-up 5. No engine surging/service call if unit runs out of fuel 6. Built in auto-start, standard equipment 7. Exclusive (OBD-2) on-board engine diagnostics H.F. HAUFF COMPANY INC. 2921 Sutherland Park Drive Yakima, Washington 98903 855-855-0318 509-248-0318 FAX 509-248-0914 hfhauff@gmail.com • www.hfhauff.com TOLL FREE &"!$#&'"%'$!' !#"$&''#"%!' ' ##'!$&%'%'&%"#$&'&#&% perspective