THE CHEER FAMILY – CHEER FARMS
365 Main Street, Brighton
Pass on the pumpkin-spice products and go straight to the source instead. Cheer Farms may have garnered a reputation as an autumn destination for apples, pumpkins and squash, but Farmer Dave (as he is affectionately known) is harvesting the freshest produce throughout the entire growing season.
Along with his wife, Loraine, and their two daughters, Kim and Jennifer, they go at full speed from Mother’s Day weekend through Christmas Eve, including hosting an impressive 30-foot booth at Brighton’s annual Applefest.
The Cheer family’s business started out as a humble roadside stand. “We transformed it from nothing to everything we have here today,” says Kim.
The Cheer family’s business started out as a humble roadside stand. “We transformed it from nothing to everything we have here today,” says Kim.
That “everything” includes a large cooler for picked produce; frozen meals prepared in the on-site kitchen; bins and baskets stacked high with fresh fruits and vegetables; and shelves filled with gourmet culinary products from across Ontario and Canada.
Oh, and the real treat: Loraine and Jennifer whip up homey baked goods—a number of which are family recipes—that fill the shop with an irresistible aroma of butter, vanilla and cinnamon that you’ll wish you could capture in a bottle.
Like other local farmers, they can’t keep up with the demand, so they have plans to expand the business even further. This includes a larger kitchen, a walk-in cooler and freezer and possibly (fingers crossed) a pick-your-own section in the apple orchard to make customer visits that much more of an experience.
“We want to make a memory for people, not just be a stop along the way,” says Jennifer.
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