Today we’d like to introduce you to Darcy Akerberg.
Darcy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
We started Akerberg Acres 19 years ago when our first son was born. We started farming around an acre of apples and vegetables. We went to the local farmer’s market to sell some of our produce. A couple years later we started making jams and pickles with our leftover produce from the markets. People started requesting more of our canned goods, placing orders before we even had them made. So we decided to grow only what we use in our canned products. As our sons grew older, we started farming pumpkins and gourds. Our sons helped us plant, weed and pick them. They helped sell the pumpkins and used that money to save for their future. We now farm 8 acres of vegetables, apples, pumpkins and gourds. We are busy selling at the local farmer’s markets, pop up events and local deliveries. We sell our pumpkins wholesale, have a couple of pumpkin wagons for people to buy from and sell at fall events. We are thankful for family and friends that help us throughout the year with making our canned goods in the kitchen, weeding in the fields or picking our produce and pumpkins.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Each year has its ups and downs. We rely on the weather (which we cannot control) to produce successful crops. Some years we have had too much rain and some years it has been very dry, so we have had crop failures because of it. It is out of our control, so we try to embrace the positives each year.
As you know, we’re big fans of Akerberg Acres. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Akerberg Acres is a small family owned business that was started 19 years ago. We specialize in canned apple products, jams, pickles, salsa. We grow most of our ingredients that we use in our canned goods. We are well known for our pickled items. Most of our recipes are from our grandparents. We use freshly picked produce, making our products taste so good.
How do you define success?
I believe success has 2 meanings. Success financially means to help cover our needs and pay our bills. But more importantly it means finding enjoyment in what we do and having a purpose in our lives.
Pricing:
- Our pricing really varies. Our jams are $7 per half pint. Pickled items are $9 for pints. Our pumpkins/gourds range from $1-$9
Contact Info:
- Facebook: Akerberg Acres
