Apr 7, 2007

Illinois Orchard Draws from Chicago Suburbs

The “Jonamac” in Jonamac Orchard doesn’t just stand for the apple variety, even though the orchard grows plenty of them. It also stands for Johnson-McArtor, the last names of the two families that have owned the business.

Jonamac Orchard is near Malta, Ill., about 70 miles west of downtown Chicago. Stan and Katie Johnson planted the first apple trees in 1974. Ten years later, they sold the orchard to Jerry and Mary Lynn McArtor, who changed its name to Jonamac, according to www.jonamacorchard.com.

“I thought he was crazy,” Kevin McArtor said about his father’s decision to buy the orchard. At the time, Jerry was a full-time builder, and growing fruit trees was just a hobby.

Not anymore. Kevin and his wife, Denice, joined the business in 1993 as partners. A few years later, they bought the farmhouse from the senior McArtors and moved in with their two sons, Max and Jake. Another relative, Jenna Hance, started working at the orchard last year, according to the Web site.

When the McArtors first bought the orchard, there were about 1,700 trees on 15 acres. Now, there are about 5,000 trees, 8 acres of pumpkins, a 10-acre corn maze, a country store and a variety of agritainment attractions on 65 acres, according to the Web site.

The McArtors have experimented with raspberries, but haven’t had much success. Their focus is on apples and pumpkins, Kevin said.

Apples also can be their Achilles heel. They lost three-quarters of their crop to frost in 2004 and 2005, but made up for it with a great crop this year. Sales were spectacular, Kevin said.

Pumpkins also are hit or miss. They had their best crop ever in 2005, but struggled with disease this year.

The orchard sells most of its apples u-pick, but some are sold from the farm store. Sometimes, apples are brought in from outside to keep up with demand. The orchard grows dozens of varieties. The most popular include Jonamacs (obviously), Galas, Cortlands, Spartans, Jonagolds, Jonathans and Honeycrisps, Kevin said.

Jerry foresaw the Honeycrisp craze several years ago and planted about 500 trees in anticipation. They pick the Honeycrisps themselves and sell them for $2 a pound. The u-pick prices for other varieties are $7.50 per half peck, $12.50 per peck and $23.25 per half bushel, Kevin said.

Along with apples, the farm’s Country Store sells a variety of jams, jellies, mustards, fudge, apple butter, apple cider and other gifts and crafts. There’s also a bakery that sells donuts, fresh-baked breads, apple pies, hand-made caramel apples and apple pizzas, according to the Web site.

The orchard opened its first corn maze in 2000. The McArtors lease additional land from a neighboring farm to make room for the maze and extra parking spaces. They use a different theme to design the maze every year, with help from a consultant. It’s been a tremendous success, Kevin said.

“It really took our business to the next level.”

They add agritainment activities every year. The Apple Train is made out of red barrels made to look like apples, complete with brown stems and green leaves. The Apple Launcher is good for target practice. It’s amazing how simple things like the grain bin and bale pile can be so popular, Kevin said, not to mention rabbits, sand piles, hayrides, live music, antique farm equipment and horse-drawn wagon rides.

The orchard is open to customers from late August through Thanksgiving, but the main activities run from Labor Day to Halloween. There were record crowds this year. With 2.9 million people within a 50-mile radius of the orchard, there’s no lack of customers, even if most of them live in Chicago’s suburbs and have to drive 30 to 40 minutes to visit. Customers also visit from DeKalb, a nearby college town, Kevin said.

The orchard’s location has another advantage: friendly local governments. Kevin has heard horror stories of agritainment entrepreneurs running afoul of local zoning ordinances, but the DeKalb County government has been supportive and easy to work with, he said.