Sunrise Orchards in Wisconsin: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Sunrise Orchards is a four-generation family apple grower on the bluffs above the Kickapoo Valley at Gays Mills, Wisconsin. Its website says it was founded in 1913, farms 225 acres and produces up to 175,000 bushels a year.
| Location | Gays Mills, Crawford County, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1913 (as published) |
| Sectors | apples; cider; retail and wholesale |
| Scale | 225 acres; up to 175,000 bushels a year; 25 varieties |
| Why it is notable | Century-old family orchard supplying stores in five states |
| Ownership | Family business across four generations |
| Official website | Sunrise Orchards official site (About page) |
History of Sunrise Orchards
Sunrise Orchards, Inc. dates to 1913 and has stayed in the same family through four generations. The orchard sits in Wisconsin's Driftless region, where ridges and well-drained slopes suit tree fruit.
In 2024 the family added a second location, Sunrise Orchards at Hillcrest, about five miles east of the main orchard. Gays Mills is known regionally as an apple community.
What Sunrise Orchards Grows and Raises
The orchard grows 25 apple varieties on 225 acres and says it can produce up to 175,000 bushels a year. Its apples and cider are sold in stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Over 130 team members work during harvest and packing season. Tree fruit is labor-heavy, so staffing and a packing operation are central to the business.
Wisconsin apple growers face spring frost risk in some years, which is one reason variety mix and a wide market area matter.
How Sunrise Orchards Makes Money
Wholesale apples
Stores in five states carry Sunrise apples, which moves volume through packing lines rather than through the farm gate.
Cider
The orchard also sells cider in stores, turning apples that miss the fresh-fruit grade into a branded product.
Orchard retail
The orchard publishes a retail season each year, with set daily hours, drawing local and visiting customers to both locations.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Sunrise Orchards
Selling in several states reduces dependence on one local market, while retail visits add margin and customer feedback.
A second orchard location gives a family business room for the next generation. Growing 25 varieties lets a farm stagger harvest and meet different buyer tastes.
A family that has spent more than a century persuading apples to cling to a Driftless hillside has earned its slice of farm satire. At farm.FM we file orchard ladders under farm humor, plus a little ranch humor about 130 pickers and one very patient forklift. Our farm jokes are always in season.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
How to Contact Sunrise Orchards
Website: https://www.sunriseapples.com/content/about/about-sunrise-orchards
Address: 48340 State Hwy 171, Gays Mills, WI 54631
Phone: 608-735-4645
Email: sunrise@mwt.net
Contact details as published on the operation's own website, November 2026. Visits, tours and sales are by appointment where noted; confirm before traveling.
Sunrise Orchards Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Sunrise Orchards about page - Official history and scale
- WPR apple crop report - Wisconsin apple industry coverage
- UW geography of Wisconsin apple orchards - University research on orchard regions
- Farmers.gov - USDA programs for fruit growers
- USDA Census of Agriculture - Official farm counts and acreage for Wisconsin
Sunrise Orchards FAQ
Where is Sunrise Orchards?
At Gays Mills in southwest Wisconsin.
When was it founded?
In 1913.
How big is it?
225 acres and up to 175,000 bushels a year.
How can I contact it?
Phone 608-735-4645 or email sunrise@mwt.net, as published on its site.
Sunrise Orchards shows how a century-old orchard can pair wholesale volume with cider and retail visits. For the wider picture, read the Wisconsin farms guide.