Senior Connections November / December 2023
Carlson ’ s Orchard will operate for its final season this fall
BY AUSTEN NEATON
Staff Writer
Joe Carlson recently resumed ownership of Carslon ’ s Orchard a year after his son and daughterin-law , Noah and Ariana , took it over .
About one year ago , the orchard outside Winsted was taken over by the couple as Joe looked to retire from the business he started more than three decades ago .
Carlson ’ s Orchard has been operating near Winsted since 1992 .
Joe said he and his late wife , Colleen , got the idea for the orchard while living in Oregon in the early 1980s . At that time , the two already owned the farm in Winsted that is now the orchard , and Carlson felt he and Colleen could seize an opportunity .
In 1985 , they began building up the orchard one tree at a time , and less than a decade later , they were open for business .
Eventually , the orchard would expand to include a bakery and a small restaurant that Colleen oversaw while Joe handled the field work and the wholesale side of their operations .
Over the course of the next 25 years or so , Joe and Colleen turned their orchard and restaurant into
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a household name within the community and surrounding area .
In 2014 , Colleen was diagnosed with cancer . She did not let the diagnosis slow her down , though , and she continued to work at the orchard every day . Joe said that many customers came to visit with Colleen during that time and show their support for her .
In 2020 , the orchard began to face some difficulties in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic . While it was able to continue its wholesale operations , the orchard itself , including the restaurant and bakery , were shut down for the year .
Then , in 2021 , the Carlson family was met with an even larger burden with the passing of Colleen early in the year . The orchard stayed closed that year in the wake of her death from cancer .
Family orchard
A little less than one year ago , the future of Carlson ’ s Orchard stood in limbo as Joe was unsure if he could continue operating it by himself . With a desire to retire after spending several decades at the helm of his business , he was not sure if he even wanted to try .
Then , in May of last year , Joe was approached by his son , Noah , and daughter-in-law , Ariana , with a proposal : the two wanted to step in and take over the family business .
At that time , the two were living in North Dakota , and each was well established in their jobs .
Neither wanted to see Joe lose his longtime business , however , and so they left their lives there to start new ones here .
Noah and Ariana worked out a deal to acquire the orchard from Joe , and shortly after they moved into the house that sits on the property .
For Noah it was a return to his childhood , as he worked many summer and fall seasons at the orchard when he was a kid . For Ariana , though , the experience was completely new .
Similar to how Joe and Colleen operated , Noah handled the field work and the wholesale operations while Ariana oversaw the restaurant and bakery . They rebranded the business slightly , and they decided to keep the restaurant open one more day per week than Joe and Colleen had .
The couple were also able to bring back some longtime employees of the orchard , such as pie baker Denise Stoll , who had worked in the bakery for nearly 30 years .
Joe still helped around the orchard as well , albeit in a limited capacity as he looked to phase himself out of the operation .
In their first season , Noah and Ariana exceeded expectations by setting an all-time record at the orchard with more than 25,000 pies sold .
“ Noah , Ariana , and Denise did a good job ,” Joe said . “ They had a successful year , and I was really pleased with their numbers . They exceeded the best numbers that myself and Colleen had done , even when adjusting for inflation .”
Unexpected change
After a successful first year , it seemed as though Noah and Ariana were ready to take Carslon ’ s Orchard to new heights , but an unforeseen situation was brewing .
Before taking over the orchard , Noah had worked in the finance and accounting world back in North Dakota . Through his work in that field , he gained a solid reputation for his work .
When he left his old company , word spread that his services might be available , and earlier this year , he was offered an excellent job opportunity back in North Dakota .
Joe , who was staying at his second home in Ore-
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Senior Connections November / December 2023
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