Wallingford’s Fruit House in its heyday: a family-friendly business

Angela Colon from Poland picks pumpkins on Thursday at Wallingford’s Fruit House in Auburn. Darrin Slover/Sun Journal

AUBURN — Wallingford’s is the name of Maine and is synonymous with fall, apples and freshly made apple and pumpkin donuts. The Ricker family, who has been connected to orchards and orchards for generations, recently purchased his 50 acres in Wallingford and has over 400 acres of apples spread across seven towns and his three counties. I have put together in my growing family’s portfolio. The prize at Wallingford’s is you can pick your own apple tree on his 25 acres on the property. Blueberry and raspberry crops are expanding here.

Peter Ricker took over management of the orchard and store operations at 1240 Perkins Ridge Road nearly 15 years ago following the unexpected death of Wallingford Patriarch Peter Wallingford. True to his word, Ricker has made no fundamental changes. “It was a month-and-a-half operation that was much more seasonal, very well run, and very respected,” he explained, adding that Wallingford’s will be open from June 1 through New Year’s Eve. The peak season is from late August to early November when he is.

Ricker said he saw an opportunity to bring more entertainment value to the local community and expand customer choice. Rickers also ran Apple Ridge Farm next door to Wallingford. Here were goats, a small bakery, and a cherished row of pick-your-own apples, consolidated and extended in Wallingford.

The Ricker family, who also own and operate Turner’s Licker Hill Orchard, Main Vineyard’s Vista and Green’s Sideley, have been cultivating apples for over 200 years. The family now runs various aspects of the three businesses. Rickers is Maine’s second largest apple grower and for years has competed with his Cooper Farms orchard in West Paris for the coveted top spot.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Wallingford’s is a popular place for families and others to visit. Ricker estimates that between 4,000 and 6,000 people flock to the facility each day on the busiest weekends of the fall season. They have children running around, feeding goats, picking apples, roaming corn mazes, and drinking sweet and hard apple cider.

When the family expanded into hard cider, the next logical step was to create a wine and cider tasting room that could be purchased to take home. There are small spaces for private functions, but Ricker said he likes to keep them small.

Ciara Spofford is making donuts at Wallingford’s Fruit House in Auburn on Thursday. Darrin Slover/Sun Journal

As you walk towards the store, the smell of sweet baked goods wafts in the wind and all the tantalizing smells come from there. The small but functional bakery sells apple cider, pumpkin spice and even chocolate his donuts, pies and muffins. The store features specialty products from local farms and producers, as well as a children’s corner of Lego, Playmobil and stuffed animals.

Peter Ricker is a workaholic, if not happy. Apple’s growth is a 24/7 business, with lots of jobs spread out. This is helpful if you have a large family support group. He is in Wallingford every day and has other responsibilities in Turner’s business as one of his owners. Still, he says he enjoys his job, and looking at his interactions with his younger staff, it’s clear he’s informal, but certainly not a pushover.

“I know there’s more to do, guys,” he said, admonishing a group of young girls gathered at the cash register.

“I enjoy the crew. I enjoy working with them,” Ricker said. “I enjoy the constant challenge of trying to figure out how it works and how it can work better.”

Shift from wholesale to retail

Growing apples is risky, and on the wholesale side of the business, especially in the national sector, Maine growers are forced to invest in much larger orchards in the Northwest, New York, Michigan, Ohio, and parts of the South. will fight.

“Maine is a very expensive place to grow apples,” Ricker said, noting that the short growing season and Maine’s cool, wet climate make disease control more difficult and expensive. was quoted. Apples and apple trees are highly susceptible to disease.

Consumer tastes are constantly changing, with today’s major chains seeking slightly sweeter varieties that require a longer growing season and buying apples based on cost. Costs are lower, especially in western orchards, where governments heavily subsidize water and the need for chemicals to control disease is less due to the drier climate, Ricker said. I’m here. Labor costs are also higher in Maine due to higher minimum wage requirements for farm workers.

“We can’t even compete at the national level,” Ricker said. Business in the area is fine, but he said it’s getting harder. So the decision was made to focus on more profitable retail by expanding people’s retail options.

Customers still want a quaint farm experience

“As you grew up, one of the things I didn’t want to lose was the idea of ​​coming to a quaint farm,” Ricker says, adding that the old farm feel and still plenty of activities and options for a wide range of customers.

Aerial view of the corn maze at Wallingford’s Fruit House in Auburn on September 29th. With Auburn Lake in the background. Russ Dillingham/The Sun Journal

They added a 7-acre corn maze but lost another smaller maze to new plantings of blueberries and raspberries. There are escape rooms where you are “trapped” in a room and must escape by solving riddles, puzzles and clues.

However, growing in size and popularity is the haunted house of “Nightmare on the Ridge,” which is more of a haunted village than a haunted house. We added a Thursday night because it takes about 30 minutes from start to finish and most Saturday nights and some Fridays are sold out. According to Ricker, “Nightmare on the Ridge” is ranked nationally, one of the best in Maine and one of his best in the Northeast. Posted on halloweennewengland.com, there are dozens of rankings and listings of haunted attractions on the internet.

All this activity requires staff, which is becoming increasingly difficult for businesses of all kinds to attract. Ricker says he employs 50 people from 30, mostly in his teens to his 20s, many of whom work 20 hours or less a week.

After a significant slowdown in Halloween business, Wallingford’s posts on social media that it is giving away free pumpkins. “And what happens is almost terrifying,” he adds. I made a line first thing in the morning, and before I knew it, it was gone. Some people bring them in to harvest the seeds, but it’s the hog farmers who bring in bigger trucks to scoop everything up.

Wallingford’s then sells hundreds of Maine-grown Christmas trees and wreaths made by a handful of local artisans. Meanwhile, the goats, as well as the rabbits, return to their owners, the farmhouses, for the winter, and the ridge becomes fairly quiet.

One thing Ricker is looking for is someone who can add extra value to the Wallingford experience. “If I could find an older gentleman who could talk about apples and explain apples to people, I’d love to have them there.” If so, call Peter Ricker.

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