Orangevale Fruit Co. - Prosper Orchard

11/09/2023

Our friends at Tomich Silvergreen Farm at 6702 Chestnut Ave will have persimmons this weekend. Check them out!

06/01/2023

In 2018, we set out with a vision to save one of the last remaining legacy orchards in Orangevale. After five years, hundreds of hours of work, and thousands of dollars invested – we have unfortunately come to the conclusion that this business is not suited for long term viability. As such, the property at 6702 Filbert Ave that has become known as “Prosper Orchard” has recently been sold. Going forward, we will no longer be operating the fruit stand and Orangevale Fruit Co. will be closed permanently.

We had hoped to have a longer run with this historic Orangevale landmark, but at the end of the day, attempting to save an orchard is a much more romantic than practical endeavor.

For the last five years, we have been at the mercy of Mother Nature, and as most of you know, that can be particularly challenging. Due to late frosts, storms, smoke, heat, etc, we have had multiple seasons in a row where the elements were not in our favor. Late frosts cause pollination issues which means relatively no fruit, a big problem when attempting to run a fruit stand. We often had to supplement with produce from other farms, but even that was tricky because other orchards in our area faced the same challenge of little to no inventory.

We made efforts to reduce our labor costs by inviting volunteers for work days, and we appreciate the few folks who showed up. We tried opening the farmstand seven days a week in the summer, and appreciate the hundreds of you who supported the effort. In the end, a business like this would need 5-10x the support from customers to break even and sustain.

After this last season, we knew we had a decision to make. Property taxes, bills, cost of labor, and equipment payments ran us dry. And at the end of the day, running an orchard is incredibly hard work made even more challenging when those involved have other farms, families, and businesses to care for and sustain.

The property will not be a development / apartment complex / or other high density situation. When all of our bills are paid, we will still lose money on this venture, but we can wholeheartedly say we gave it our all. We know some of you are frustrated with this outcome, but we can assure you, no one is more disappointed than we are. It was obviously our desire to maintain a legacy, but sometimes that’s just out of your control.

We hope that you will welcome the families planning to build their lives and homes on this property with open arms.

Orangevale is a great community, and your support for the orchard has meant the world to us. We encourage you to double down on your support for the remaining local farms and small businesses in our community. Let’s rally behind them so they will experience success and sustainability.

– Brad & Matt
Owners, Orangevale Fruit Co.

https://ovfruit.co/orchard-closed-may-2023/

11/19/2022

Our friends at Tomich Silvergreen Farm will have Orangevale-grown mandarins this weekend. Stop by!

11/01/2022

Pomegranates available from Orangevale's Hopp Homestead. Follow them for updates and message for some great local fall fruit!

Selling pomegranates 2 for $3
Message me for pick up

09/09/2022

Thanks to everyone who supported the orchard this season. That’s a wrap!

08/31/2022

FINAL WEEKEND! Brave the heat this weekend and come out to the last Farmstand of 2022. We will have peaches, and most importantly...Tahoe Pops. Stop by 6702 Filbert Ave 9am-3pm this weekend.

08/20/2022

Farmstand is open SATURDAY & SUNDAY! Come on out today 9am-3pm. We still have peaches - white and yellow. We will also have boxes of Fay Elberta yellow peaches that we’re damaged by spring weather - 10lb for $20, 20lbs for $40.

08/17/2022

For anyone interested in supporting Orangevale’s rural roots and our newly developed local small farms, here is an opportunity to get plugged in to that community.

08/14/2022

We have adjusted our Farmstand hours and will only be open Saturday and Sunday for the remainder of the season (closed weekdays starting 8/15/22).

08/07/2022

Sunday is a great farm day in Orangevale! Grab some fresh fruit from our farmstand. Pick up veggies from White Dog Farms. And Heirloom Acres Farm still has a few spots left for u-pick flowers today 9-12.

07/31/2022

We’ve added some local tomatoes and concord seedless grapes to the Farmstand today. Come on by 6702 Filbert Ave.

07/30/2022

Here is an example of the challenges we’ve been experienced this season. Our Fay Elberta yellow peaches taste amazing this year, but they we’re damaged by spring weather. We have them available at the Farmstand today at a discount - 10lb for $20, 20lbs for $40.