One of the newer members of the Minnesota apple orchard scene is Sweetland Orchard! Founded in 2009 by Mike and Gretchen Perbix, Sweetland orchard is located in Webster. If you enjoy a more low-key, pastoral orchard setting where you can relax and enjoy delicious food and drinks, then Sweetland Orchard is the perfect destination to put on your fall list this year.
Keep reading to learn all about this must-visit Minnesota apple orchard!
Not the Typical Apple Orchard Dream
Normally the story of how an apple orchard came to be starts with a man’s vision. Not so in the case of Sweetland Orchard. It was Gretchen who first had the dream of owning her very own orchard and when she eventually met her husband, Mike, she found a partner to share her dream with.
Gretchen’s love affair with apples began when she was a child. This love was instilled by Alice and Gary McDougall, owners of McDougall’s Apple Junction. Alice was Gretchen’s elementary school music teacher.
In 2007, Gretchen and Mike visited the McDougall orchard every few months to meet with Alice and Gary to learn all they could about the apple orchard business.
At first, Gretchen and Mike hoped they might take over the McDougall orchard once Alice and Gary retired. But the McDougalls, like many independent orchard owners, decided McDougall’s Apple Junction should remain in the family.
This gave Gretchen and Mike the opportunity to find their own orchard location where they could bring to life their unique vision. In November of 2008, Gretchen and Mike drove to Webster and visited the site of Bob’s Bluebird Orchard.
Even in the late Minnesota fall, when orchards are going dormant for the fast-approaching winter, Gretchen felt they’d found the right location. In a 2016 Make MN story, Gretchen said “It was all brown, but it felt really good.”
Sometimes the heart just knows when it’s found a home! In 2009 the sale of the land was finalized and the Perbix’s dream was officially about to become a reality.
A Dream Gets Legs
In 2010 the Perbixes were busy laying the foundation for the apples they would grow and use for cider-making. It was a time of planning, pruning, and planting. In the beginning, there were 50 varieties of apples growing at Sweetland Orchard. Later the number would be closer to 70 varieties.
From the beginning, cider was a focus for the couple. The orchard they bought even came with a cider press. In 2010 the hard cider experimentation began with that year’s apple harvest and the Perbixes learned what yeast and apple pairings produced the best results.
The apples harvested in 2011 went into production for cider, licensing was acquired, and in 2012 Sweetland Orchard began selling hard cider.
Back in 2012, hard cider wasn’t very popular in Minnesota. But within a few years, the demand for locally produced hard ciders would explode. Mike and Gretchen became champions for the Minnesota hard cider industry, and Sweetland Orchard was one of the founding members of the Minnesota Cider Guild.
In 2018 Sweetland Orchard, along with a small number of other orchards, began participating in a study with the University of Minnesota’s apple breeding program to test cider apple varieties.
The Perbixes are also committed to adopting sustainable apple orchard growing practices that rely more on landscaping and organic methods to keep the soil and environment healthy.
Taking a cue from orchards in England, hogs were added to the orchard. Hog meat is even available for sale each year, although it sells out very quickly!
The Apples of Sweetland Orchard
Since apples are the Perbixes passion, you can expect to find some amazingly delicious (and even some hard-to-find) varieties.
The apples listed on the website are Duchess of Oldenburg, Pristine, Viking, State Fair, SweeTango, Zestar, Paula Red, Ginger Gold, Honeycrisp, Haralson, Honeygold, Cortland, Ruby Jon, Wolf River, Fireside/Connell Red, Bonnie Best, Golden Russett, Airlie Red Flesh, Prairie Spy, Northern Spy, Keepsake, Red Free, Kingston Black, Spartan, Macoun, NW Greening, Egremont Russett, Regent, Dabinett, Liberty, Apricot Apple, Wealthy, and Goldrush.
For fans of crab apples, there are the Centennial Crab and Chestnut Crab.
You can’t get these apples as u-pick, but rest assured that the quality of the picked-for-you apples will be second to none.
More About Cider
Sweetland Orchard bottles hard cider under several different labels and each one has a unique twist to it.
The Scrumpy Line
At first glance, the word “scrumpy” might not be one you associate with cider or apples in general. In the hard cider world, “scrumpy” describes small, artisan-quality batches of brewed hard ciders made with local apples. It also identifies a particular type of hard cider made in the west of England.
Exploring the etymology of “scrump” a little more: “scrumping” is a late 19th-century British word for stealing fruit, apples in particular, from an orchard or garden. At some point “going scrumping” became a way to mean “going to pick apples” (legally, we hope!).
So all of that is to say while the name “scrumpy” might not seem to fit at first, it’s part of hard cider history and, therefore, quite apropos. Described as “farmhouse hard cider,” the Scrumpy line includes Original and Cherry Rhubarb flavors.
Rustic Apple
Also a farmhouse hard cider, Rustic Apple is a blend of Minnesota apples and fresh-pressed cider. The website describes the taste as “like our cooler smells in the fall: apples in wooden crates.” A must-try for hard cider fans!
Perennial
Rather than the Minnesota apples used in some of the other hard ciders, Perennial is made from heirloom apples and has some extra carbonation added.
Northern Spy
Fans of the Northern Spy apple will be ecstatic over the discovery of this hard cider. The Northern Spy was actually the subject of a call on the NPR show, A Way With Words. The caller’s description of the apple’s taste will make you want to find one ASAP.
Wassail
This hard cider is made with Minnesota apples and apple brandy and has a special flavor from the oak barrels it’s aged in.
Borealis
Borealis is an ice cider and it’s available in its original form and in an oak barrel-aged form.
Roundabout
This is a fun hard cider because it’s made from very small batches (some of them experimental). When each batch is bottled, the label is marked with the batch number and customers can go online to read all about what went into the batch of hard cider they bought!
The Sweetland Orchard Experience
As you might have guessed, you won’t find tractor or wagon rides, petting zoos, or corn mazes at Sweetland Orchard. They’re also not a u-pick apple orchard, but you can buy picked-for-you apples. This is a different kind of orchard that appeals to a different sort of apple lover.
Sweetland is 20 acres of a more natural orchard setting. Visitors praise the beautiful scenery where they can enjoy good food and drink. It’s an ideal picnic setting! There are free-range chickens, a turkey named Greg, and two very friendly and knowledgeable owners who love to talk about all things apple.
For apple devotees with children who might not have been bitten by the apple bug just yet, there’s a kids’ area in the barn to occupy them.
And lest we forget, the orchard is dog-friendly to leashed, well-behaved dogs with well-behaved parents who are sure to pick up after them. Sweetland Orchard could be just the apple orchard you’ve been searching for!
What’s Available At Sweetland Orchard
The apples and the hard ciders are certainly the most popular items that you can buy at Sweetland Orchard. Visitors can pre-order apple tasting kits that can be upgraded to include hard cider, some of the “rarer” apples, as well as dessert ciders.
They do take time to prepare so they must be ordered in advance of a visit to the orchard.
Recently Gretchen has introduced Minnesotans to a new addiction: apple cider doughnuts. Apparently, while these are a familiar treat in other states, theyare relatively unknown in Minnesota. Chances are, they’re a baked good trend that will catch on quickly!
And if pork from the hogs the Prebixes raise sounds like something you want to take advantage of, you’ll have to get on the waiting list by emailing them.
Small Quantity, Huge Quality
At just 20 acres, Sweetland Orchard is a fraction of the size of other Minnesota apple orchards. It doesn’t have the carnival-like atmosphere found elsewhere during apple season. But don’t count that against this orchard, because this is a true apple lover’s paradise.
Apples like the hard-to-find Wolf River, Northern Spy, and Pristine alone are worth a trip!
Visit Sweetland Orchard this Fall!
The Perbixes have been pioneers in the hard cider industry as well as the movement towards more eco-friendly apple farming practices. The apples and hard ciders they produce are the results of their passion for a different way to run an orchard and cidery. Spending a few hours with Mike and Gretchen might just turn you into an apple enthusiast.
Ready for more apple adventures? Discover amazing apple orchards in Minnesota to visit this autumn!