ABOUT FRECON FARMS
Founded by Richard S. Frecon in 1944 after leaving the USDA Frecons was started as a wholesale fruit operation where both fruit, family and a legacy would be raised. Richard and his wife Martha raised six children on the family farm with each of them fostering Richards passion for orchards and entrepreneurship in their own right.
Second Generation
Richards son Henry Frecon, his wife Mary and his sister Teri brought forward the second generation of the orchard managing and growing the Orchard and Retail Store from the 70’s through the early 2000’s. Their indelible mark has been left on both the orchard and retail store both greatly expanded under their stewardship in fruit variety and production as well as services and gourmet foods from the retail store.
Third Generation and Today
Frecon Farms has grown into a diverse operation in every sense of the word and we think Richard would be proud. For over 70 years Frecons have honed the crafts of fruit production, on and off farm marketing and most recently craft hard cider. Today the business is run by the 3rd generation and a team of talented employees who look to continue Frecons diversification while remaining rooted to our heritage of growing the finest fruits.
Our Future
We look with great anticipation and expectation toward the future of agriculture in america. The local movement spearheaded by a grassroots movement of impassioned farmers and supporters have reinvigorated US Farming and Frecons is excited to be a part of it all. We look forward to the expansion of our UPick program and on farm events. Consumer education is critical to the survivability of the American farm and we see no better way to build a new generation of impassioned farmers and supporters of farming then to invite you to our farm. Our Wholesale program is replanting the orchard with new varieties and great enthusiasm that is shared by the clients we service who see a continued demand from their clients for local agricultural products. And Hard Cider has there ever been a more exciting rebirth of an old and forgotten industry? Hard cider has given us the opportunity to test our horticultural chops in growing heirloom varieties then seeing what unique flavors we can ferment them into. The local scene in Philadelphia has given us so much support it is with great confidence we look toward national distribution. Stay tuned…..
About the Orchard
Since 1944 the Orchard at Frecon Farms has been where the story begins with each season, business and generation of stewards caring for the land and family. Frecons specializes in fruit, market, and environmental diversity growing Cherries, Blueberries, Plums, Peaches, Nectarines, Pears and Apples with adherence to an environmentally sensitive IPM growing program.
Our crops are produced through meticulously caring for each tree/bush individually with pruning, training, nutrition and harvest methods developed for our land and microclimate over the past 70 years.
Each summer, fall, and winter with great pride we present our loyal customers with the finest of our harvest available for Wholesale, Retail & Bakery, UPick, Farmers Markets and Hard Cider.
With a Team of highly trained orchard specialists we diligently tend to the trees/bushes year round to ensure each season delivers the best mother nature will allow.
About the Market
EAT FRUIT BE HAPPY! Frecon Farms has been growing some of Pennsylvania’s finest tree fruits since 1944. Cherries, peaches, plums, blueberries, apricots, nectarines, raspberries, apples, pears, pumpkins, squash and more. For 3 generations, we’ve built our lives around providing Boyertown and the surrounding areas with the best fruit, local produce and whole food items through our retail store, scratch bakery, farmers’ markets, seasonal events and gift baskets.
We’re proud to offer quality whole foods from our favorite local growers & purveyors. Local honey, cheeses, meats, salmon and other high quality natural foods. Plus a gourmet food product line great for any special occassion.
We also feature ciders from Frecon’s Cidery, wines from Blair Vineyards, meads from Stonekeep Meadery and locally sourced produce, glass bottled milk, meats and cheese from farm partners throughout the tri-state area.
About the Bakery
In the spring of 2014 Frecon Farms renovated our existing location to make room for our very own scratch bakery. Focused on using our seasonal fruit and finest whole ingredients, we’re proud to provide the Boyertown area with a bakery to call its own.
We use our own recipes and bake/cook everything from scratch. No mixes, no bake off. Just like it used to be.
Pies, cookies, breads, donuts, sweet breads, quiche, soup & more. Baked fresh daily, from scratch using seasonal, local ingredients.
Call ahead to ensure availability, as we do bake fresh and will sell out of items from time to time.
Our Philosophy
An Orchard Cidery
At Frecon’s, we are first and foremost an orchard. So everything we do about the making our product stems from generations of practicing the art of agriculture. We don’t make cider, we just provide infrastructure to let nature continue it’s process. Of course with some guided help by some solid cider craftsmanship.
After bringing in the harvest in the fall, we begin our process by following classic fermentation guidelines that were taught to us over several years of tutelage by Richard Blair of Blair Vineyards, an estate winery in Pennsylvania. Our initial fermentations are always done in stainless steel, and with our “Everyday” cider line we finish in stainless. With our “Estate” line we move our aging process into oak barrels for micro-oxygenation and other maturing characteristics. Our aging process across all our lines is anywhere from 4 months to 2 years.
Within our orchard we grow a wide range of new world, heirloom, and old world varieties. With a careful selection each year of the types of apples and the time of peak ripeness, we blend all our styles before pressing, except in the case of just a few of our estate based single varietals, like the Golden Russet. In some cases within our estate line we will also blend post fermentation, like with our Scrumpy. In each of our styles we work carefully to balance the right amount of Sharps, Sweets, Bitter Sharps, Bitter Sweets, and aromatics to fit exactly the intended design.
In the end…Thank you for choosing handcrafted quality. Thank you for supporting our family farm. Every bottle of Frecon’s Orchards product contains 100% pure apple cider. No artificial coloring or additives. Our grandfather put these apple trees in the ground. Our father tended to them. And now, with this and other products tied directly to local agriculture, we’re doing the same as those before us and caring for the land and legacy that has been handed down for over three generations. Every cent we earn from our products goes back to the farm to continue our stewardship of 130 acres in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
