Jan 6, 2020

Eau Claire, Michigan’s Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm closed Dec. 31

It’s the end of an era for agriculture in southwest Michigan, as Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm in Eau Claire, Michigan, closed Dec. 31.

According to radio station WSJM in St. Joseph, Michigan, The farm made the announcement on Facebook in late December, saying the entire 450-acre property is now going on the market.

The farm has been in the Teichman family for three generations, but it suffered some big losses in 2019, starting with the death of Herb Teichman to start 2019, followed by the polar vortex which took a heavy toll on fruit trees throughout the region.

This past summer, third-generation farm owner Bill Teichman fell ill with Eastern Equine Encephalitis from a mosquito bite, and he’s still recovering from the disease that killed two-thirds of the people afflicted in the state this year.

Tree-Mendus Fruit closed for good on Dec. 31. The farm gained notoriety nationwide for hosting the International Cherry Pit Spitting Championships every Fourth of July since 1974.

The farm is known in the area for its U-Pick and well beyond for its famous, long-running International Cherry Pit-Spitting Competition.

To read more and find out about the farm and the GoFundMe page to help support the family, click here.

Monica and Bill Teichman in an apple orchard at Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm in Eau Claire, Michigan. Photo: Stephen Kloosterman