Oct 8, 2025

Hanulcik Farm Market & Orchard’s central Michigan fruit heritage

Hanulcik Farm Market & Orchard is a third-generation fruit farm, market and orchard in Ionia, Michigan, that has been supplying locally grown fruit since 1936.

The season opens each year with strawberries in June. The farm also offers peaches, raspberries, sunflowers, nectarines, plums, pears, blackberries and apples ripening from June through October.

“We are a hyperlocal farm market,” said Alex Hanulcik, one of the owners of the family-run company. “Almost all of the produce and products we carry are grown or made right here on our farm or sourced from other partner farms and small businesses in Ionia and the surrounding area. The vast majority are from within 30 minutes of the market.”

The catalyst for being local is the increased consumer demand, and Hanulcik Farm Market strives for local, fresh, healthy food. 

Making a change

The farm started in 1936 by Alex’s grandfather,then taken over by his dad, who turned it into a commercial operation growing mainly apples, peaches and strawberries.

“The big kahuna was apples, but in 2015, I basically changed direction. I decided not to pursue commercial growing anymore,” Hanulcik said. “We went more direct to retail. With strawberries, we had always been direct to consumers, and same with peaches, though we were a small player there. But now, strawberries and peaches are our big players, and apples are third.” 

The reason for the change, Hanulcik said, came down to basic economics. Labor was a huge problem, and there were a lot of outlays expected to keep things moving forward, He felt this was the right move for the farm and its future.

“I’m already at that age where I don’t have someone in the family who wants to take over, so it just made sense from a business standpoint,” he said. “Direct-to-consumer was always there for us, and we just expanded upon it and learned how to do it better.” 

Naturally, u-pick is a major part of operation, and the farm does it on everything it offers. 

“I like to position ourselves as a destination farm,” Hanulcik said. “There’s a lot of stress in life, and my objective is to have a place where people can come and get away, do u-pick, see some live entertainment and relax. Some of the u-picks out there are frantic and stressful — it’s just not relaxing. It’s our objective to be more of a relaxing destination.” 

The year ahead

2025 is looking to be a bountiful season for the company, starting with its strawberries, followed by peaches, plums, pears, nectarines, raspberries, blackberries and apples. The apple orchard includes up to 40 varieties and is available from September through late October. 

The strawberry season, which starts in June, consists of four varieties: Galletta, Yambu, Jewel and Malwina. 

“Strawberries are our busy season, and I equate it to NASCAR; the Daytona 500 is the first and biggest race of the year, and strawberries are similar to that.” Hanulcik said. “For five weeks, it’s really busy, then it slows down but stays steady. We might see 400 to500 people a day during strawberry season.” 

Currently, the farm has seven acres of strawberries in production on a three-year cycle. It also grows five acres of peaches and a similar amount for apples. 

“We will have at least two varieties of apples all season long,” Hanulcik said, explaining that most of the 40 different varieties come in and out while in season. “I’ve trained the staff to know as much as possible about each variety.” 

Roadside market 

Hanulcik and his wife bought a nearby farm in 2000 and opened the Hanulcik roadside market store there. It’s on a state road that sees about 10,000 cars a day. In 2021, the family started taking better advantage of the location, replacing the small stand with a larger market. 

The Hanulcik farm market store is chock-full of local produce, as well as Amish Country Dairy old fashioned cream top milk and roll butter, Farm Country Cheese curds and cheese blocks, Gingham Sisters goat milk soaps, Lumber Mill Inn bread and pies, Jones Farm meat, local honey and maple syrup, Scherger’s Kettle jams and salsas, and more. The products are from partner farms and businesses mostly in the local mid/west-Michigan area and two in Shipshewana, Indiana, just across the Michigan-Indiana border east of Elkhart, Indiana.

Craft beer, wine and hard cider are new this year, Hanulcik said. This year, Hanulcik Farm Market will carry locally produced Lost Fawn Winery wines made with Michigan fruit and based in Belding, about 15 miles from Hanulcik’s farm. The strawberry-rhubarb variety is also made with Hanulcik strawberries. 

“We’re also doing fresh juices and  expanding our dry goods with apparel, accessories, kitchen gadgets, cookbooks, pet items and unique general store items,” Hanulcik said. “It’s a mix of all things. We’re gearing toward a younger generation,hoping those things play into consumer demand a little bit.”

Following the path 

Carrying on the family tradition is something Hanulcik is proud of, and he truly enjoys being part of this business, even if there was a time he never saw himself returning to it. 

“I enjoy the growing portion of it and seeing things coming into fruition,” he said. “I really like working outside. But my degree is in finance, and I ended up working in Manhattan. It sounded great when I was young, but I really didn’t like it. That’s when my mom and dad asked if I wanted to try this, and that’s how I got into it. I never imagined myself coming back to the farm, but I enjoy it so much.” 

— A graduate of the University of Miami, Keith Loria is an award-winning journalist who has been writing for almost 20 years. View his recent writing at keithloria.contently.com.