It is hard to know how
long wild cranberries have been grown on the shores of Lake Superior
in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. But one family that has been
cultivating the fruit for more than 127 years is capitalizing on their
history with a farm market gift shop.
Today, with just two years of farm marketing under their belt, Loren
and Sharon House are pressing ahead. They say their cranberry-themed
gift shop features a wide variety of products, many made from their
own cranberries grown in their historic spot, is getting more popular
all of the time.
The shop began as a way to stay afloat when cranberry markets went
south. Called Jenny’s Cranberry Gifts, the market was named
after Loren’s Grandmother who was an early postmaster in Whitefish
Point, Mich. Today, it is actually located in the building that Loren’s
grandfather, Frank House, added to the family home to serve as one
of the first post offices in the area. Its antique appearance only
enhances the feeling of history that visitors to the shop and farm
get when they step out of their car.
The market has tapped into the excitement created by nearby tourism
destinations, said Sharon. Besides the beaches of Lake Superior, the
operation is just a few miles from the Great Lakes Shipping Museum,
which draws 100,000 visitors per year, according to Sharon. In addition,
they have other popular attractions nearby, including Tahquamenon
Falls, Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, not to mention winter snowmobiling.
The farm began by putting up signs advertising that they were open
to tourists, and then reached out to the museum, which agreed to place
their brochures inside their center. Sharon said that many of the
tourists come from the museum and enjoy a picnic on their farm and
learn a little more about cranberry production.
“We offer a unique experience for Upper Peninsula tourists,”
said Sharon. “We are the only cranberry farm in the area and
the farm has been in Loren’s family for 127 years.
“History is one of the largest bridges between people,”
she said. “Over 127 years ago Loren’s family purchased
this property from the U.S. government.”
Formally known as Centennial Farm, the farm and its surrounding area
are a family heirloom and reflect a time when there were many more
cranberry growers in the Upper Peninsula.
John Clarke, from Ontario, founded Centennial Farm. According to Sharon,
he spotted the farm and its cranberry growing potential when he was
fishing off of Whitefish Point in the 1870s. At that time Native Americans
were known to harvest wild cranberries and blueberries for the schooners
on Lake Superior. He bought the land in 1874 and moved there with
his wife, Priscilla. The next year, with the help of his half brother,
Frank House, Clarke cleared the land and added two acres of bogs to
his original two.
In the beginning, Clarke and House used varieties cultivated form
local wild cranberries. Today, the farm uses modern varieties grown
in their 13 acres of bogs. The new farm market does not use much of
their cranberry production, so they still ship a considerable amount
of crop to Cliffstar, a large, independent cranberry processor in
Minnesota.
Their gift shop offers mostly cranberry themed items. It is dominated
by their food items, which were made by the family, until demand got
too high. They offer cranberry jams, apple cranberry butter spread,
and are planning on adding cranberry salsa and a variety of cranberry
ketchup in the coming year.
“While we still sell for processing we hope to add more and
more uses for our store and to be selling more in fresh fruit and
canned goods,” Sharon said. “We also intend to make our
own baking mixes with our own cranberries,” Sharon said.
The idea for the market came from a fellow cranberry grower and friend
in Wisconsin. He told the Houses of a Canadian farm marketer and cranberry
grower that had met with success. Not long after learning about the
Canadian venture, they traveled there and toured the facility.
At the time (1999), the farm was facing a sharp downturn in prices
for cranberries.
“We realized that if we were going to keep the farm afloat we
had to do something different. So, we’ve taken advantage of
our location and the market has helped us.”
“We hope to expand our market every year,” said Sharon.
“We started shipping fresh fruit this year and plan to begin
shipping our canned goods before too long.”
“We’ve had enough people come up here, and they like what
we offer. They want to get more of our products and we are going to
take advantage of that market, too.”
The market is open from Memorial Day until Halloween. They offer tours
pf the farm and have a small room where visitors can view a harvest
video and old photos and machinery. The Houses charge $5 a carload
admission.
“We offer something that families on vacation can afford,”
said Sharon. “We have picnic tables near the lake, and tour
buses are welcome.”
Although they have just completed their second year as farm marketers,
they are very hopeful about their prospects. The farm market has a
lot of growth potential.
“Our gift shop business has increased over 50 percent over last
year,” Sharon said. While she said they don’t expect to
keep that pace of sales growth, they want to ensure the farm is around
for Loren’s teenage grandchildren. With help from his daughter,
Susan, and the two boys, they plan to carry on the 127-year-old tradition.
