Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Ginsberg.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
This is our centennial year! My great-grandfather purchased the farm in 1925, Edwin Dunneback. The farm was originally, Ed Dunneback & Sons. He had 5 sons and one daughter. Sons Edward and Joseph, took over the farmily farm continuing to farm 170 acres of apples, peaches, strawberries, row crop as well as dairy cows. Edward, my grandfather married helen in 1942. They met at a barn dance right here in the cold storage barn on our farm. Every Saturday night, Dunneback’s hosted band from the area and folks from all over the Ridge would come out for a night of drinks and dancing. The original stage is still in the barn! Ed and Helen went on to have 3 children, Pam, Mike and Suanne. Mike, the only son was unfortunately drafted to the vietnam war. He chose not to take the farm deferrment being that he was the farm’s only son and we overseas to serve his country. Tragedy hit the farm when mike’s tank was hit with an enemy bomb. He was severly wounded and died 3 days later. It was a this time, the farm was forever changed. The name on the barn was too much for my grandparents to bear and was changed to Ed Dunneback and Girls. My mom, Suanne was a senior in high school when this happened. She went on to go to Western Michigan University and earned a degree in social work. After working in the field for a bit, she decided the farm was where she was meant to be. She had run the farm for the past 40 years growing apples, cherries, strawberries and asparagus. She started to dabble in agritourism 20 years ago adding a small donut machine to the farm market. My sister and I grew up working on the farm but both left for other jobs, ultimately following in our mom’s footsteps, returning to the farm.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been many struggles over the years. Farming in general is a tough job with all of the things that are out of our control. The weather, pests, environmental conditions, new regulations and the cost of farming. We have always had the public on our farm for u-pick and/or already picked fruits and veggies. We began adding more value added items, pies, jams etc, as an additional revenue stream. This was a way to make bad crop years less stressful by finding other was to sell our fruit. We have grown substantially over the past decade but not without a myriad of hiccups. Local government has been the most difficult to overcome. We have struggled to help them understand that our market and additional farm themed activities help provide stability for the farm. Moreso, it has given my sister and I the opportunity to sustain the farm for the next generation by providing us a way to afford the purchase of the farm from our parents. We are still farming 170 acres. We are still growing and teaching the consumer about their food and how it gets to their tables.
As you know, we’re big fans of Ed Dunneback & Girls Farm. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a centennial farm owned and operated by the Girls! We farm 170 acres of asparagus, apples, cherries, strawberries, Christmas trees and veggies. We are open February thru December. Our farm is home to our restaurant, bakery gift shoppe and tap room. We are known for our from scratch kitchen, beer, hard cider and seltzers brewed right here on the farm. We pride ourselves on offer a place for friends and family of all ages with festivals, live music, trivia, farm to table dinners and themed events for every season. We are most proud of our staff, who is truly a part of our family. We employ nearly 140 kids from the area spanning 10 school districts. We are a place for them to have their first job, meet new friends and learn about farming and the service industry. It is amazing to see kids of all different ages and backgrounds become friends and truly love coming to work together!
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love the overall support from our city to support local businesses. The farm is a place for families, corporate outings, social gatherings, all things that bring people together. Only thing I can see is out of town guests would like to see more options for uber/lyft in our area!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dunnebackgirls.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dunnebackgirls
