Photos and story by Ben Watson
Last night marked a new beginning for Schwartz Orchard as Adam and Gina Smith, who purchased the orchard from Adam’s uncle Tom Schwartz, cut the ribbon to usher in a new era for the orchard. The festivities included a fine meal, plenty of delicious apple pie, and a drawing for an assortment of prizes.
Adam and Gina reminisced on wonderful moments of their youth around the orchard, sharing memories from days past that they, too, hope to share with their children. Adam also reported that, to his knowledge, this was the best apple season in the orchard’s history.
Gina and Adam Schwartz under the new Schwartz Orchard logo.
Along with the new owners, a number of changes and developments are planned for the orchard and its products.
“We expect to make a hard cider, make some (apple cider) vinegar, and possibly have some expansion into the bakery items. The donuts have been fantastically popular, and the apple cider is amazing. We are making more apple cider than we ever have, and pretty much, we’re going to see what the market holds and go with it,” Adam said.
As Schwartz Orchard begins to go through its changes, the industry itself is seeing some changes as well.
“There are far fewer people involved in it. This entire area was orchards from what I understand. This is the last remaining orchard in this area. The other two orchards in Marion County are kind of dwindling down as well, so we hope to really expand this one and get involved with the community as much as we can, and this Chamber event is one of the best ways to do that,” Adam said.
If you’re saddened that you weren’t able to attend the event, there’s no need to worry, as a number of events are still headed your way.
“We have our Apple Saturdays currently, so this coming Saturday will be our second one. The following Saturday is October 1st, and we will be making Schwartz Apple Butter here as an event. We’ll have live music again and the Taco Jo’s truck as well,” Gina said.
Gina also expressed her admiration for her and Adam’s German heritage, hinting at a variety of German-rooted products to be on the way, particularly in their Christmas Market on December 10th and 11th.
A large crowd at the Centralia Chamber Business After Hours join in the ribbon cutting for the new owners of Schwartz Orchard.
Enjoying the Centralia Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours at Schwartz Orchard.
