Appalachian Orchard Company in West Virginia: History, What It Grows, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Appalachian Orchard Company in Martinsburg, West Virginia, is a family-run wholesale apple grower in the Eastern Panhandle's fruit belt. Its website puts the orchard at 550 acres, and in 2022 it became the first working orchard in West Virginia to place land under a farmland protection easement, according to Mountain State Spotlight.
| Location | Martinsburg, Berkeley County, West Virginia, off I-81 near the Martinsburg Industrial Park |
|---|---|
| Founded | Orr family fruit and vegetable farming from the 1930s; first 97-acre orchard bought in 1955; independent company since January 1, 2018 |
| Sectors | Wholesale apples (and plums, per Farm Progress); processing apples for juice and applesauce |
| Scale | 550 acres per the company website; Farm Progress reported 517 acres and about 25 full-time workers |
| Why it is elite | Large Eastern Panhandle wholesale orchard; first working orchard in the state to place land under a farmland protection easement (350 acres, 2022) |
| Ownership | Orr family; fourth and third generations run it and the sixth is learning the business |
| Official website | Appalachian Orchard Company official site |
History of Appalachian Orchard Company
The company says the Orr family began raising fruits and vegetables in the 1930s, and in 1955 George S. Orr Jr. bought his first 97-acre orchard. Mountain State Spotlight reports that he kept assembling orchard land and had amassed more than 1,000 acres by his death in the late 1980s. The family land was later divided: the original George Orr and Sons became two businesses, and Mike Orr's Appalachian Orchard Co. became independent on January 1, 2018, while his brother Mark runs Orr's Farm Market.
The company says fourth and third generation family members now grow and pack the fruit and the sixth generation is learning the business. Farm Progress noted that Mike's daughter Julie Bolyard was already working in the business and that the family planned a corporate structure for succession.
What Appalachian Orchard Company Grows and Raises
Appalachian Orchard Company grows apples, and Farm Progress described 17 apple and plum varieties sold mainly wholesale, with Red and Golden Delicious making up about 60 percent of acreage. Mountain State Spotlight says much of the fruit is grown and shipped for apple juice and applesauce, and it reports a contract with GoGo squeeZ. The company's website lists sections on growing practices, wholesale information, food safety and varieties.
The business invested in a new packing facility in 2018, and Farm Progress reported controlled-atmosphere storage. It also faces real weather risk: Farm Progress said a 2018 hailstorm destroyed about 200 acres of trees. Practices reported there include soil testing, contour strips, no-till, integrated pest management, crop rotation and plant tissue sampling.
How Appalachian Orchard Company Makes Money
Wholesale apples
The core revenue stream is wholesale fruit packed on the company's own line and sold to buyers near and far, according to the company's website.
Processing contracts
Mountain State Spotlight says the company grows and ships apples mainly for juice and applesauce and holds a contract with GoGo squeeZ. A processing outlet gives a grower a home for fruit that does not meet fresh-market grade.
Peddler and wholesale programs
The website lists wholesale information and peddler sales sections. The sources used here do not publish prices or volumes.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Appalachian Orchard Company
Own the packing and storage. A packing line and controlled-atmosphere storage let a grower sell across the season and control quality, which matters for a wholesale orchard competing with larger regions.
Protect the land and plan succession early. Placing 350 acres under a farmland easement in 2022 locked in orchard use, and planning a corporate structure for the next generation reduces the risk of a family split ending the business.
An orchard with a sixth generation learning the trade is the only business where the apprentice may already know every Golden Delicious by its first name. Readers who love farm.FM for farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes can enjoy the idea of a hailstorm audit arriving at the family dinner table. The real Orr story, with its orchard rows, packing line and protected hillsides, deserves nothing but affection.
Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.
How to Contact Appalachian Orchard Company
Website: https://appalachianorchard.com
The official site links to a Contact Us page but did not list an address, phone or email in the text reviewed, so none is reproduced here. Wholesale and visiting enquiries should go through the site; confirm before traveling.
Appalachian Orchard Company Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Appalachian Orchard Company - The company's own website
- Farm Progress: Orr brothers - Independent profile of the Orr orchards, acres and succession
- Mountain State Spotlight - Report on the orchard, GoGo squeeZ contract and farmland easement
- West Virginia Department of Agriculture annual report 2025 - State programs for specialty crop growers and WV Grown branding
- WVU Extension Berkeley County - Local agriculture and natural resources extension
Appalachian Orchard Company FAQ
Where is Appalachian Orchard Company?
It is in Martinsburg, Berkeley County, in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle.
How big is the orchard?
The company website says 550 acres; Farm Progress reported 517 acres in an earlier profile.
What does it sell?
Mainly wholesale apples, including fruit for juice and applesauce, according to Mountain State Spotlight.
Is the orchard open to the public?
The company describes itself as a wholesale business; for retail picking see Orr's Farm Market, a separate family business.
Appalachian Orchard Company shows how a wholesale West Virginia fruit grower can last through hail, trade shocks and generational change. Use the West Virginia farms guide and the other profiles to see how orchards, cattle and conservation farms fit together in the state.