DeGrandchamp Farms in Michigan: History, What It Grows, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
DeGrandchamp Farms near South Haven, Michigan, is a family business that began in 1958 with a 12-acre blueberry farm and now grows blueberries and cranberries and runs a nursery selling roughly 500,000 plants a year. The family was listed among Van Buren County inductees in a Michigan Farmers Hall of Fame announcement.
| Location | Near South Haven, Van Buren County, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1958, when Vincent and Beatrice DeGrandchamp bought a 12-acre blueberry farm |
| Sectors | Blueberries; cranberries; container-grown nursery stock; wholesale packing |
| Scale | About 150 acres of blueberries in a 2012 report (a produce database lists about 200), at least 40 acres of cranberries and 7 acres of nursery and greenhouse |
| Why it is elite | Multi-generation family, Hall of Fame inductee family, supplier to Naturipe and Ocean Spray channels, commercial plant nursery |
| Ownership | Family-owned and managed across generations |
| Official website | Fruit Growers News profile of DeGrandchamp Farms |
History of DeGrandchamp Farms
Fruit Growers News reports that Vincent and Beatrice DeGrandchamp bought a 12-acre blueberry farm in 1958. Their children and grandchildren now run the business. In the 2012 profile, Judy Johnson ran the office and retail market, Mike oversaw nursery and greenhouse operations, Joe managed blueberries and Bob handled cranberry care and harvest.
A Michigan Farmers Hall of Fame announcement listed the DeGrandchamp family of Van Buren County among its inductees, which reflects the family's standing in the state's fruit industry.
What DeGrandchamp Farms Grows and Raises
The farm grows blueberries and cranberries and operates a container-grown nursery. Blueberries move through fresh, wholesale and u-pick channels, and the farm belongs to the MBG Cooperative and sells under the Naturipe brand. A packing and shipping facility handles fresh sales for the farm and three other small growers, about 1 million pounds a year in the 2012 profile.
Cranberries are sold to Ocean Spray, and harvest tours drew about 3,000 visitors in the year before the 2012 profile. The nursery sells blueberry, lingonberry and cranberry plants, about 95 percent to commercial growers across North America, at roughly 500,000 plants a year.
How DeGrandchamp Farms Makes Money
Blueberries
Fruit moves through wholesale, fresh and u-pick sales, with cooperative marketing under the Naturipe brand helping the farm reach larger buyers.
Cranberries
Cranberries are sold to Ocean Spray, and harvest tours add an agritourism layer.
Nursery plants
The nursery sells blueberry, lingonberry and cranberry plants, mostly to commercial growers, creating a revenue stream tied to other farms' expansion rather than to fruit prices.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from DeGrandchamp Farms
A key lesson is to spread risk across fruit species and business types. Blueberries, cranberries and plant sales respond to different markets, so a weak year in one does not take down the whole farm.
A second lesson is that cooperative marketing and shared packing let a family farm reach large buyers while also serving smaller neighbors. Assigning each family member a clear division, such as blueberries, cranberries or nursery, keeps the operation manageable.
A farm that sells both blueberries and the plants other growers need to start their own has quietly become the seed money of Michigan's berry belt. If you enjoy farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, farm.FM fits nicely into a cranberry harvest break, and not one joke will ask you to wade into a bog.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
How to Contact DeGrandchamp Farms
Website: https://fruitgrowersnews.com/?p=4871
Public page listed as the best verified source for this operation, November 2026. No official farm website, address, phone or email was verified from the official source; the trade press profile is listed instead. Confirm current details with the operation before visiting or placing orders.
DeGrandchamp Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Family means business - Fruit Growers News profile of DeGrandchamp Farms
- Degrandchamp Blueberry Farms Inc - Produce Market Guide company listing
- Michigan Farmers Hall of Fame inductees - Announcement naming the DeGrandchamp family
- Michigan Farm Bureau agriculture facts - State blueberry and commodity facts
- USDA NASS 2022 Census, Michigan - State farm counts and sales
DeGrandchamp Farms FAQ
Where is DeGrandchamp Farms?
It is near South Haven, in Van Buren County, southwest Michigan.
What does it grow?
Blueberries and cranberries, plus a container-grown nursery selling blueberry, lingonberry and cranberry plants.
When did it start?
In 1958, when Vincent and Beatrice DeGrandchamp bought a 12-acre blueberry farm.
How can I contact DeGrandchamp Farms?
No official site was verified from the source. A South Haven farm market and local directories carry its public listing.
DeGrandchamp Farms shows how a 12-acre start can become a multi-crop family business. See the Michigan state guide for the region's fruit belt, and browse the other Michigan profiles.