Apple Works is for sale, and its retiring owners want to see it carried on

For more than 30 years, the Apple Works has been one of the area’s most unique places.

People have swarmed the farm store to pick up Gala, Jonagold, Crimson Crisp and more than 20 other kinds of apples. They’ve bought locally grown sweet corn, melons, tomatoes and blackberries, as well as apple pie declared the state’s best.

Kids have scampered up the hay bale mountain, careened down the super slide and picked out the perfect fall pumpkin. People have strolled around the small pond and relaxed on the wooded grounds.

Generations of people have memories attached to the Apple Works. Owners Sarah and Rick Brown want that to continue, even if they’re no longer involved.

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The Browns are planning to retire from the orchard business and have put the Apple Works site up for sale. After 31 years, they felt it was a good time to step away from the neverending work that comes with operating a farm and pass on ownership to someone else.

But the Apple Works will remain open, and the Browns are committed to helping the next owners carry on the traditions that have grown over the years.

"We love this place. We want to see it keep growing," Sarah Brown said. "We still want this to be a family-oriented place where you can get away from the city, get out to the country."

Even as they grew older, the Browns have continued to add new experiences and improve the orchard. Last year, they planted 1,300 young trees. The 25-acre orchard produces 12,000 bushels of apples per year, and they have considered additional improvements to the farm.

"We have all sorts of plans, just not enough time to do it," Sarah Brown said.

The Apple Works is listed for sale at just under $3.6 million, and the Browns hope to find a buyer dedicated to continuing to grow the orchard and farm facility. They plan to be available to whoever the new owners are, to answer questions and provide guidance if needed.

With a knowledgeable staff who have managed the sales barn, bakery and other aspects of the business, the foundation is place to make the change in ownership a successful one, Sarah Brown said.

"We want to not skip a beat and have a smooth transition," she said.

Nestled in the hills south of Trafalgar, the Apple Works was born in 1989 when Sarah and Rick Brown planted their first apple trees. The trees were planted by hand in holes dug with a shovel — a tradition the Browns and their staff still maintain.

The first apple crop was harvested two years later. They had no farm store yet, so the Browns bought two refrigerators to place in their apple field. Their daughters Alison and Maggie would take orders from cars passing by on the roadway, then they’d run to the refrigerators to get the fresh apples.

Over the years, the Apple Works orchard grew, as did the business with the construction of the barn and farm store. Their focus became providing people with the best apples possible, particularly offering customers unique or difficult-to-grow varieties that larger orchards don’t typically bother with.

People could experience the burst of flavor in summer apples such as Pristine, or the sweet-tart Swiss Gourmet, one of Europe’s top apples that is almost never found in the U.S. because of the extra care it requires.

The Browns’ commitment made the Apple Works immensely popular, with customers coming out year-round to enjoy the bounty of the orchard. But at the same time, keeping a small family orchard going was difficult.

"This work is intensive," Sarah Brown said. "There’s a lot of work to it, but it’s a labor of love."

The constant work is what drove the Browns’ decision to retire and sell the orchard. They have put their whole lives into making the Apple Works what it is, and are proud of what it has grown into.

But now is the time to step away, they said. 

"It’s awfully hard to get off the farm. While we’re still in good health, we want to spend some time with family that we don’t get to see often," Sarah Brown said. "But we’re very devoted to helping whoever takes over with the transition."