One of the largest and most complete farm markets in Central New York celebrates 60 years in operations
By Tom and Jerry Caraccioli
In 1964, if you went to Ontario Orchards to buy fresh fruit and produce, a bushel of apples (approximately 42 pounds or 100 apples) cost about $3. Corn was going for about a dollar a dozen. And strawberries were a dollar a quart.
For more than seven decades Dennis Ouellette has been an agriculturist.
This fall, the Ouellette family, led by Dennis and his wife, June, along with daughters, Kathy and Laurie, and grandchildren, celebrate the 60th anniversary of owning and operating Ontario Orchards.
From the very beginning they made a point of selling their own fruit, vegetables and Christmas trees, as well as help the local economy by selling goods grown by local farmers.
Today, Ontario Orchards has become one of the most diverse, complete, family-owned farm markets in Central New York and New York state.
Early start
It all started for Ouellette as a 6-year-old in 1952 when his parents, Dennis and Estelle, bought a farm in Sterling.
Though the farm had a chicken and pig operation, it was mostly a fruit farm spanning acres and acres taking in the cool moist breezes from nearby Lake Ontario. He has been there ever since.
Twelve years later, Ouellette and his wife had bigger plans. “My wife, June, and I graduated from Hannibal High School in 1964 and proceeded to purchase property right here at Ontario Orchards, which was a two-story horse barn,” Ouellette explained. “This area was all filled in from swamp.” A year later they converted the old horse barn building into the present-day Ontario Orchards store.
“Back then we sold apples in the fall and strawberries and corn,” Ouellette recalled. “My wife and I would get up in the morning, before we even came to work and go pick strawberries and corn, bring it here and sell it on the side from a little stand. We also picked apples from the farm, brought them down here and sold them. That’s how it initially started. It was just a fruit and vegetables farm market — very seasonal. We closed for three months during the winter season.”
In 1967 they purchased the family farm from Ouellette’s parents. It was during that time vegetable production became a serious part of the business. With that, expansion through the years became inevitable.
“Everything you see over the years that has been expanded was brought on by customer-based increases, not just about money, but customer-based increases,” Ouellette said.
Expansion also included developing and creating new ideas, new supplies and products, as well as continuing to work with local farmers selling their products, along with their own.
“I have to attribute a lot of the new product lines to my daughters, Kathy and Laurie,” Ouellette said. “Because of their new blood and energy, they came up with new ideas, new displays, certainly new products and teaching dad about pricing in the New World. Now we’re open seven days a week, except for Christmas Day, which is the only day we do close. In order for us to do that, we had to implement a complete line of products that people were looking for at least once a week. Whether it was milk, eggs, apples, cheese — we had to make it worthwhile to be open seven days a week, throughout the winter time in particular.”
Local produce, products
Ontario Orchards also expanded internationally by purchasing products from farms in Quebec and Ontario, including high-end quality greenhouse greens, lettuces, strawberries and asparagus. But it is growing, buying and selling local and state-wide that is their calling card.
“Because of the COVID situation, it made people more aware of where products are coming from,” Ouellette explained. “Knowing products are local or if you know they are New York state-raised and produced, it is high-end quality because of our professionalism in farming. We are certified farmers.”
Despite growing a lot on their own farm, Ouellette knew they couldn’t raise everything. Ontario Orchards works with many local growers including Reeves Farms and Emmi’s Farm in Baldwinsville, Simpelaar Fruit Farms in Mexico and the Jacobson Farms in Fulton, to get the freshest and best products.
“We have growers who are very much a part of our business,” Ouellette said. “The percentage of local is 90% during the summer. And of that percentage, up to 70% is right off our own farm. The rest primarily is Central New York.
“By working with local growers, we can help move their crops at fair values. And I think that is an important part. We don’t have a middle man with the products we sell from our farm. We are direct farm to the public. Therefore, we can put a true value on them. We don’t have to spike the price because of a middle person.”
That original Ontario Orchards philosophy still holds true now as it did when they first opened.
And true to form, their fruits, produce and products reflect that fact with home-grown and New York state-grown and produced items, including Canale’s Traditional Tomato Sauce (Oswego), Canale’s House Italian Dressing (Oswego), Rudy’s Texas Hot Spice Bag (Oswego Town), 1000 Islands Hot as Hell Mustard (Clayton), Dinosaur BBQ Original Sensuous Slathering Sauce (Syracuse), New York State Maple Syrup (Lynd-Acres Farm, Croghan), New Hope Mills Pancake Mixes (Auburn), Cuddeback Honey Farm (Wolcott), Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters (Victor), Ontario Orchards labeled mustards, salsas, jams, butter, maple syrup, as well as Christmas trees, apples and cider.
One of a kind
Sixty years later, Ontario Orchards is one of the very few farms in North America that commercially raises fruits, vegetables and Christmas trees at the retail level with 90% in-house sales. And as it was in 1964, it is still a bargain with a quart of strawberries at $6; a dozen ears of corn at $7 and a bushel of apples cost $25-$50.
“If my parents could walk in here today, they would just be awestruck seeing the completeness of the total operation compared to what it was in 1952,” Ouellette said. “Not only would they be awestruck, but we have customers who have been coming here for 50 years. I have staff that has been working here for more than 30 years, since they were in high school and are still here. That says a lot to the friendliness, the completeness, the quality and the genuine appreciation of our customers.”
And, it says everything about the Ouellettes and Ontario Orchards.
Fall Jamboree Marks 24 Years
This year marks the 24th year of Ontario Orchards Fall Jamboree — a two-day weekend event, organized by the Ouellette family, in which the public is invited to come to the farm to celebrate the harvest and change of seasons with food, fun and entertainment. Walk through the corn maze. Pick your own apples and pumpkins. Make and take scarecrows, as well as wagon rides, pony rides and meet the animals up close. The Fall Jamboree always takes place during the third week in September and this year it took place Sept. 21-22.
Activities also include U-pick, hay rides, arts and crafts and music. Ontario Orchards also has a full U-pick season for apples, about a six-week period where people can come to the farm on weekends and pick fruit.
Tom and Jerry Caraccioli are freelance writers originally from Oswego, who have co-authored two books: “STRIKING SILVER: The Untold Story of America’s Forgotten Hockey Team” and “BOYCOTT: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.”
