Glei's Orchard family-owned, family-grown
Hillsdale residents continue enjoying local produce despite two recent fires
Brian Thomas
Issue date: 10/22/09 Section: Focus
Damon Glei's sun-bleached hair, grass-stained jacket and leathery, calloused hands tell a farming story spanning four generations. Since 1918, the Glei family has worked tirelessly towards turning a 40-acre piece of land on Milnes Road into a 300 acre farming metropolis complete with apple orchards and two greenhouses.
It all began with Damon's grandfather, Carl Glei, and Carl's mother, Alma, who started with 50 apple trees nearly 91 years ago.
Today, the family, along with a staff of 14, grows over 30 varieties of apples, 300 annuals and 200 perennials. In the unpredictable Michigan weather, the Glei family has their work cut out for them.
"Sure it's a challenge," Damon said. "But a lot of jobs out there are challenging - especially nowadays."
Damon said employees work hard at Glei's - no matter what time of year it is - in return for customer loyalty and a quality product.
In the fall, apples, pumpkins and nursery stock litter the grounds as seeds are sown for the upcoming batch of Christmas trees.
Glei said the orchards enter production mode right before the first frost, picking their 30 apple varieties before the cold begins. As names are shouted over the intercom and directional orders are given, one gets an idea of the efficiency of this small army of farmers.
The farm faced adversity in recent years because of two devastating fires in 1990 and 2007. The two fires completely destroyed the main building, storage rooms and much of the farming equipment. The loss was bittersweet.
"After the fires, we were able to build better, more functional buildings," Damon said. "We pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps and kept walking."
Many in the Hillsdale community depend on Glei's for their seasonal needs and household staples. Jonesville resident Kristi Hastings said she shops at Glei's because of their great products and friendly customer service.
"Nowadays it's so easy to sacrifice quality for quantity," Hastings said. "At Glei's, they always seem to do it right and get the perfect balance."
It all began with Damon's grandfather, Carl Glei, and Carl's mother, Alma, who started with 50 apple trees nearly 91 years ago.
Today, the family, along with a staff of 14, grows over 30 varieties of apples, 300 annuals and 200 perennials. In the unpredictable Michigan weather, the Glei family has their work cut out for them.
"Sure it's a challenge," Damon said. "But a lot of jobs out there are challenging - especially nowadays."
Damon said employees work hard at Glei's - no matter what time of year it is - in return for customer loyalty and a quality product.
In the fall, apples, pumpkins and nursery stock litter the grounds as seeds are sown for the upcoming batch of Christmas trees.
Glei said the orchards enter production mode right before the first frost, picking their 30 apple varieties before the cold begins. As names are shouted over the intercom and directional orders are given, one gets an idea of the efficiency of this small army of farmers.
The farm faced adversity in recent years because of two devastating fires in 1990 and 2007. The two fires completely destroyed the main building, storage rooms and much of the farming equipment. The loss was bittersweet.
"After the fires, we were able to build better, more functional buildings," Damon said. "We pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps and kept walking."
Many in the Hillsdale community depend on Glei's for their seasonal needs and household staples. Jonesville resident Kristi Hastings said she shops at Glei's because of their great products and friendly customer service.
"Nowadays it's so easy to sacrifice quality for quantity," Hastings said. "At Glei's, they always seem to do it right and get the perfect balance."
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