Saunders Farm

What Saunders Farm does

Saunders Farm is a privately held, family-owned agritourism destination located on a 100-acre site near Munster, Ontario, approximately 30 minutes southwest of Ottawa. Founded in 1974 (operating from its current location since 1976), the company operates five major seasonal festivals — Tulipfest (spring), Summer Maze Days, Corn Maze Festival, PumpkinFest, FrightFest, and A Country Christmas — anchored by attractions including the world's largest hedge maze, ziplines, gem mining, and haunted experiences. Beyond festival admissions, the farm runs structured recurring programming including Farm Camp (children ages 5-12), K-12 school trips, kids' birthday parties, corporate events, private celebrations (Pavilion capacity 240 guests), and film location rentals, generating diversified revenue streams across consumer and B2B segments.

The business model is omnichannel and consumer-direct, with monetization spread across ticket admissions, on-site food and beverage (eight outlets including MacIntosh's CiderHouse, Farmer's Table BBQ, and multiple branded snack stations), a fully liquor-licensed cider taproom and estate cider production (Saunders Cider, launched 2021 with online DTC sales via saunderscider.com), and a Farmshop retail outlet selling baked goods, apparel, souvenirs, and cider. Ticket pricing ranges from $20.50-$42.99/person for school groups, structured birthday party packages, monthly-tiered Farm Camp pricing, and corporate event quotes via [email protected]. Ticketing runs on third-party platforms (connectngo.com, digitickets.co.uk); the company has no proprietary technology platform, app, or API. The site is cashless and operates on event-driven seasonality with strongest revenue concentration in Q3-Q4 (PumpkinFest, FrightFest) and progressively earlier/later festival launches extending the calendar.

The company has been continuously family-owned since founding by Bill and Anne Saunders, with second-generation leadership (Mark and Angela Saunders) assuming operations in 2010. It employs 51-100 people plus substantial seasonal hiring, has accumulated 1.2 million guests over 45 years, and operates without external institutional capital, parent company, or public listing. Brand is regionally dominant — internationally recognized via the 2002 International Farm Marketer of the Year award (first Canadian recipient) and the world's largest hedge maze — and the business is privately held with no disclosed revenue.

Name

Saunders Farm

Legal name

Saunders Farm

Website

https://saundersfarm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Saunders Farm is a family-owned 100-acre agritourism destination near Ottawa operating five seasonal festivals (Tulipfest, Summer Maze Days, Corn Maze Festival, PumpkinFest, FrightFest, Country Christmas), estate hard cider production, food and beverage outlets, and event hosting for families, schools, and corporate clients across the Ottawa region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agritourism

NAICS

Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240), Strawberry Farming (111333)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Agritourism Eco-Lodges & Farm Nature Stays (THAAAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Farm Stays & Agritourism Lodges (THAMADAH), Farmstead & Local Artisan Food Markets (Retail Shops) (CRAHAGAO), Farm-to-Table & Agritourism Dining Experiences (Farm Visits, Harvest Meals) (THAJAGAK)

Keywords

• Agritourism attractions
• Seasonal farm festivals
• Estate hard cider
• Farm camp programs
• Event venue rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Admission and Attraction Tickets: Ticket sales for day passes, seasonal festivals, and special events including FrightFest night passes, PumpkinFest, Tulipfest, Summer Maze Days, and Country Christmas. Children 2 and under are free. Revenue from group bookings and school trips.
2. Food and Beverage: Multiple on-site food and beverage outlets including MacIntosh's CiderHouse (wood-fired pizza, hard ciders), Farmer's Table (barbeque), Tipsy Tombstone Tavern, Bratwurst Haus, Pogos & Poutines, The Steaming Cauldron, What the Cluck, BeaverTails, and How Do You Like Them Apples (ice cream, pies, cider). Farm is fully liquor licensed.
3. Retail (Farmshop): On-site retail sales of fudge, kettle corn, homemade pies, jams, cider, toys, souvenirs, apparel (t-shirts, hoodies, caps, beanies), home decor, candles, blankets, and farm merchandise. Pick-up available during the week. Closed January-May.
4. Private Event Rentals: Venue rentals for celebrations (weddings, anniversaries, birthdays), corporate events (team picnics, retreats), and film locations. Revenue from catering services, bar services, and facility rental fees. The Pavilion hosts up to 240 guests; CiderHouse accommodates 65 guests.
5. Saunders Cider: Estate cider company producing core ciders (Flying Canoe semi-sweet, Candy Apple sweeter, Saw Tooth dry) and seasonal ciders (Pie Faced, Rosy Cheeks). Sold at CiderHouse taproom, Farmshop, and online at saunderscider.com. Region's first estate cider company.
6. Farm Camp: Summer day camp programming for children ages 5-12. Registration fees with early-bird pricing. Prices increase on the 1st of each month. Lunches included. Also offers CIT (Counsellors in Training) program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Saunders Farm operates a family-owned 100-acre agritourism destination near Ottawa offering six major seasonal festivals (Tulipfest, Summer Maze Days, Corn Maze Festival, PumpkinFest, FrightFest, A Country Christmas) anchored by the world's largest hedge maze. The farm also sells Farm Camp registrations, school trip packages, private celebration and corporate event hosting, film location rentals, estate hard cider (Saunders Cider), on-site dining (MacIntosh's CiderHouse and multiple food outlets), and Farmshop retail merchandise.

Product overview

Saunders Farm is a family-owned agritourism destination near Ottawa, Ontario, operating since 1974. The farm offers a portfolio of seasonal events (Tulipfest, Summer Maze Days, Corn Maze Festival, PumpkinFest, FrightFest, A Country Christmas) alongside year-round programming including Farm Camp, School Trips, Corporate Events, Celebrations, and Film Location rentals. The farm's attractions include world-famous hedge mazes (the largest in the world), play structures, gem mining, ziplines, and haunted attractions. On-site dining is provided through MacIntosh's CiderHouse and multiple food outlets, with Saunders Cider produced on-site as a core beverage product. The Farmshop offers retail merchandise including cider, baked goods, souvenirs, and apparel. The farm serves as a venue for private events including birthday parties, corporate retreats, and weddings, with capacity up to 240 guests at the Pavilion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Saunders Cider: Estate hard cider company producing Flying Canoe (semi-sweet), Candy Apple (sweeter), Saw Tooth (dry), and seasonal ciders including Pie Faced and Rosy Cheeks.
• MacIntosh's CiderHouse
• FrightFest

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1.2 million guests entertained over 45 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ottawa TourismcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOttawa Tourism provided support for the brand-new Corn Maze Festival created in celebration of Ottawa's 200th anniversary. The partnership helped bring this exciting new experience to life and promoted the event to tourists and visitors.
• Food BasicsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFood Basics is a sponsor of Mrs. Claus' Cookie Class activity station during Country Christmas Days at Saunders Farm. This sponsorship supports the festive children's activity.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• McMaze Family Fun Farm: New Brunswick agritourism farm with corn mazes, pumpkin patch, and seasonal festivals. Direct comparable on the festival/corn maze business model with overlapping fall-attraction customer segment.
• Avonmore Berry Farm: Eastern Ontario pick-your-own berry farm with on-site food, retail, and seasonal activities. Comparable as a regional Ottawa-area agritourism destination with farm-retail and event-driven traffic.
• Proulx Sugarbush & Berry Farm: Eastern Ontario farm combining maple syrup, berry picking, and seasonal attractions. Comparable as a multi-season agritourism operator near Ottawa serving families with similar day-trip and admission economics.
• Pingle's Farm Market: Ontario family farm offering seasonal festivals, a corn maze, pumpkin patch, and farm market. Closest direct comparable in the Ontario agritourism-festival category with overlapping admission, retail, and seasonal event economics.

Emerging players

• Thornbury Cider: Ontario estate hard cider producer with DTC and retail distribution. Comparable to Saunders Cider as a craft estate cider competitor building brand in the Ontario on-premise and retail channels.

Broad incumbents

• Black Creek Pioneer Village: Toronto-area living history attraction with seasonal events, school programs, and group bookings. Comparable as a heritage/educational attraction operator with school-trip and corporate event revenue streams.
• Upper Canada Village: Large-scale heritage tourism attraction in Eastern Ontario with seasonal events and broad visitor base. Comparable as a regional Ottawa-area destination operator competing for family day-trip and tourism dollars.

Regional players

• Calypso Water Park: Largest theme water park in Canada, located near Ottawa. Comparable as a regional family entertainment destination competing for Ottawa-area summer discretionary spending.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saunders-farm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Saunders Farm