Jul 6, 2010

Michigan blueberry farm stays ‘True Blue’

True Blue Farms, based in southwest Michigan, harvests 150 acres of blueberries in eight locations. Photos: True Blue Farms

By Matt Milkovich, Managing Editor

Shelly and Dennis Hartmann have a hand in just about every segment of Michigan's blueberry industry. If that's not enough to back up Shelly's claim that they're entrepreneurs, their appearance in the book "Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur's Soul" should do it.

Shelly married Dennis, a third-generation blueberry grower, in 1990. Their farm, True Blue Farms in southwest Michigan, had about 10 acres at the time. They were part-time farmers then, who both worked other jobs. The couple started buying other farms, however, until growing blueberries became a full-time endeavor. They now own eight blueberry farms, 150 acres total, in Van Buren and Allegan counties, the heart of Michigan's blueberry industry.

True Blue Farms is now one of the largest blueberry producers in southwest Michigan. Besides that, the Hartmanns' True Blue Processing facility processes berries for about 50 other growers. All of those growers use Good Agricultural Practices and are third-party audited. True Blue also manages farms for older growers who can't do all the work themselves, Shelly said.

About three years ago, the Hartmanns expanded their retail reach by buying The Blueberry Store from MBG Marketing. The Blueberry Store, located in downtown South Haven, Mich., sells all kinds of blueberry-related products, including juice, concentrate, pie, gift baskets, plants, etc. True Blue Farms uses its own berries to make the products, she said.

The Blueberry Store, a tourist destination, has always been a marketing tool for the industry; when they bought it, the Hartmanns felt it was important to keep the store in South Haven, on the coast of Lake Michigan. According to the store's website: "More cultivated blueberries are harvested within 50 miles of our front door than any other place in the world."

The Blueberry Store proved to be a good purchase for the Hartmanns. Besides the store itself, there's a catalog division, an Internet division and a wholesale division. Sales have done well, and new products are continually being developed. The store released three new products this year: Blueberry Butter, Blueberry Maple Syrup and Blueberry Trail Mix.

Those who prefer fresh berries can pick them and buy ice cream or other products at the True Blue Farms Country Store.
Shelly considers blueberries "nature's perfect fruit." There's no peel, pit, stem or cap to deal with. And Michigan has the perfect climate for the perfect fruit, resulting in the best-tasting blueberries out there, in Shelly's opinion.

Michigan is getting some competition, however. Blueberry acres in other areas of the country, especially Southern states, are growing at a rapid pace. But that's not necessarily a bad thing for Michigan growers. It could give them an advantage, in fact. The Southern blueberry harvest peaks early. Once that market window is closed, Michigan's harvest can fill in the gap, she said.

She would like to see blueberry consumption increase, however.

Shelly and Dennis have three daughters and five granddaughters. Several other family members manage different aspects of the business, and at least one of their daughters has shown some interest in taking over the farm one day. Currently, they employ about 100 people, mostly local people, she said.

Shelly has a lot going on outside the farm. She's the president of the Michigan Frozen Food Packers Association and the Michigan Blueberry Advisory Committee. She's a member of other organizations, and she's running for state representative in her local district.