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Rokeby Orchards, after almost a century in business, is seeing new demand for its
high-quality products thanks in part to Elgin County’s “phenomenal” buy-local campaign.
Located in, Aylmer, Rokeby Orchards is a full-service agri-business with customers
throughout the Elgin region drawn to its many varieties of fresh apples and other
fruits.
“We’ve been part of the community forever, it seems,” says Linda Rokeby, who operates
the farm with husband Michael. “We have 27 varieties of Flavour Best apples and
our oldest trees are about 80 years old.”
Retail sales have been boosted by the growing movement toward buying local food
products.
“Elgin County has been phenomenal in promoting local produce,” says Linda, who also
credits the Elgin Business Resource
Centre, the Elgin Fruit and Vegetable Growers’
Association, Elgin Tourism Services, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and Foodland
Ontario for helping to make buying local food a “buzzword.”
Rokeby Orchards has also benefited from its long-time reputation of selling the
highest quality of fruits and vegetables.
Michael Rokeby says, “Part of our uniqueness is that we sell fresh from the orchard
apples from August 1 through late March in bigger consumer packages than most of
the stores have.
“And we offer more varieties than any direct-to-consumer grower in Ontario, as far
as we know. We pick them at the best stages of maturity for eating and storage quality.
“The most common comment we get is, ‘Why can’t we buy apples like this in the store?’
”
Some customers have been coming to pick their own apples for decades. When Michael
conducts school tours, he sometimes meets children from families he has known for six generations.
“We thought last year that we might retire,” Linda laughs. “I have never seen so
many people upset in my life. People told us we could not leave!”
C. C. Rokeby, Michael’s father, founded the business in 1910 after immigrating from
England and graduating from the Ontario Agricultural College. He was also a founding
member of Norfolk Fruit Growers, one of the oldest agricultural co-operatives in
North America, which still distributes Rokeby Orchards’ products internationally.
Originally located in southwest Norfolk County, Rokeby Orchards later moved to Tillsonburg
and then to its present location in 1956. In 1972 the family opened its “Big Red
Apple” roadside stand on Imperial Road, four kilometres north of Aylmer, which is
now
a regional landmark.
Michael and Linda have nine children, all grown now. Finding themselves with extra
room in the house they opened their Apple Pie Bed and Breakfast, where people can
come to the country to unwind and where apple pie for breakfast is a way of life.
People also gather at Rokeby Farms for weddings, reunions and other special events as well as school and group tours. In the fall there are craft festivals, pumpkin
carving contests and Apple Fest days.
The
primary business, though, is retail sales of apples as well as plums, pears,
squash and onions. At least 6,000 people a day pass the Big Red Apple stand from
August through November, and the Rokebys are also considering expansion of an indoor
sales room with a wood stove and rocking chairs where people can chat and sip cider
on winter days.
For the latest information about Rokeby Orchards and the Apple Pie Bed and Breakfast,
Michael and Linda invite you to write to
rokebyorchards@porchlight.ca.
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