Bringing the community a farm holiday lighting experience, wasn’t the owners’ initial vision. This beautiful apple and pumpkin farm in New Jersey is known as the Jewel of Bergen County. In the late 1970s, Peter and Marsha introduced what would become one of the largest and most important parts of the business: pick-your-own apples and pumpkins. Peach picking came along a number of years later and is rapidly growing in popularity. In 1991, the Demarest Family proudly watched as its legacy continued to grow as their new farm store opened across the street, where fields of corn once grew. Through the years in its new home, the farm market has continued to evolve with the times, still offering the finest quality fresh fruits and vegetables, but also evolving with the time and offering many of the conveniences and services sought today by patrons: a from-scratch salad bar, country bakery, delicatessen, ice cream parlor, and an endless selection of indulgent goodies (like homemade doughnuts and apple cider!) as well as unique gift and gourmet items.
Elizabeth Demarest, 90, could have sold the farm for big bucks, but she didn’t want to see McMansions sprouting up on her 34 acres in Hillsdale and Saddle River. “It would have killed me,” she said. The family agreed to preserve the land and sold it to Jason DeGise and Jim Spollen, who started working at Demarest Farm as teenagers. They’re now in their 40s. DeGise handles retail. Spollen prefers the fields. “You have to have a passion for it,” Spollen said. “Now we’re taking it over, so we’re investing in it. My life’s been invested in it. My family works here, my children, my wife. My sisters worked here. It’s not just a job; it’s a livelihood, a way of life.” They see a real growth opportunity. “Now there’s a big, in the last 10 years, (movement) back to local, farm to table,” DeGise said. “And the younger generation’s really being taught that in school,” Demarest said, “in a way, the farm really is staying in the family. They just belong here, and they both are in the place where their passion lies,” she said. “So it’s a perfect match. I’m very proud of them. It’s a good thing.”
NEW FARM ADVENTURES AWAIT
Now Demarest Farms has taken the next step in bringing the community together. In addition to the farm and orchard, they began the ultimate agritourism experience, opening up a Haunted Orchard and a farm holiday lighting experience with Orchard of Lights. The Haunted Orchard is nothing short of a scream! This fun event features a hayride and a bone chilling series of haunted adventures filled with ghouls, ghosts and all kinds of scary creatures… you will be transported deep into the orchard to visit the forgotten graveyard nestled within the apple trees. The event begins the first weekend in October and runs through Halloween. Click here for more information and tickets https://hauntedorchardsfarm.com/
Last year, was the first year Demarest Farms began Orchard of Lights. This family-friendly experience brought in thousands from all around the region and was a tremendous success. Visitors were able to take a hay wagon ride through 32 acres of brilliant holiday light displays, warm up by the fire pit and enjoy hot cocoa and treats in their retail farm market.
HOW OUR RELATIONSHIP BEGAN
Demarest found us online while researching Holiday displays and design companies. They liked that we had been in business for 60+ years and that we had a five star Google review. When they called us we were willing to work with them and find a way to work with their budget. They had called some other companies, but they said they were either too busy and they would get back to them later or that they could not work with their budget. It was not large enough. Their goal was to create a holiday tradition for families that could live on for years to come. They wanted to build an experience that brought families and their community together in a positive, uplifting way and to bring joy to their community. It was important to create a holiday experience that was unlike any other in their area and they were looking something unique and inspiring. So we went to work!
HOW WE MADE IT ALL HAPPEN
While they had the vision for what they wanted, they had no idea where to start and how they would execute it. They needed a partner that could help them design a drive thru park from nothing other than a path on a map. While they had great ideas for what they wanted they did not know how to put it all together. We took over with the design process right away and went back and forth with the owners until we got the overall design exactly how they wanted it. Due to our vast experience, we were also able to help and give advice with a number of other things from pricing to traffic flow as well as building the overall experience. We had a call with the owners to find out what their vision was for their holiday experience and what they wanted to achieve. We also found out what personalized elements that we could add based on their farm and area. We talked thru the length of the drive thru and they provided us with a rough outline of a map of their drive thru. From there we developed a design concept and presented that to the owners. This initial design sparked a lot of conversation and provided a vision that was tweaked and modified as we went back and forth with ideas. After a lot of collaboration, we were able to finalize the designs and get everything into production.
THE RESULTS
Their results exceeded their expectations. They sold out nearly every weekend. Even with this overflow of attendees they were able to manage the crowds and delight their customers. They also did well on other items like s’mores kits and hot chocolate that were sold separately from the ticket sales and this boosted their overall revenue.
THIS YEAR, THEY ARE KICKING IT UP A NOTCH!
They are going to add some new displays and experiences to continue to keep their drive thru an exciting holiday destination while building on the traditions that they have in place.