Shelburne Orchards

What Shelburne Orchards does

Shelburne Orchards is a 60-acre, family-owned apple orchard located at 216 Orchard Road in Shelburne, Vermont, near the shores of Lake Champlain. The operation was purchased by the current owner's father in the 1950s and now cultivates over 6,000 bearing apple trees, with secondary crops including peaches, plums, pears, and sour cherries. It serves individual consumers, home orchardists, and agritourism visitors in the New England region, with seasonal operations concentrated in September and October.

The company's product surface spans four streams: U-pick and on-farm retail fruit sales (90% of apple volume sold directly off the farm), a recurring spring apple tree sale of mature 4–12 year-old trees priced $400–$3,500 each, an on-site distillery operating under the Dead Bird Brandy sub-brand that sells apple brandy and Pommeau through deadbirdbrandy.com and curbside pickup, and ancillary value-added goods including fresh-pressed apple cider, ginger cider, cider vinegar, and cider donuts. Its underlying agronomic platform is a Low Spray growing program combined with Integrated Pest Management (IPM), developed by owner Nick over more than 30 years to target pest life cycles and reduce chemical inputs.

The business model is direct-to-consumer and owner-operated, with no institutional investors, no parent company, and no disclosed external funding. Go-to-market relies on on-farm experience, an email newsletter, organic social sharing, and an owned e-commerce storefront for spirits. Customer segments are individual consumers (U-pick, retail) and home orchardists (tree buyers), with the only B2B channel being a residual ~10% of apple volume historically routed through the Shoreham apple packing coop. The firm employs 11–50 staff including a core year-round crew and seasonal labor for harvest, cider pressing, and the distillery tasting room.

Name

Shelburne Orchards

Legal name

Shelburne Orchards

Website

https://shelburneorchards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shelburne Orchards is a family-owned 60-acre Vermont apple orchard that sells 90% of its fruit directly to consumers via U-pick, on-farm retail, spring apple tree sales, and the Dead Bird Brandy distillery, serving individual visitors and home orchardists in New England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Apple Orchard & Farm Products

NAICS

Apple Orchards (111331), Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (1113)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Pome Fruit Orchards (Apples, Pears, Quinces) (AFAGACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Stone Fruit Orchards (Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Cherries, Apricots) (AFAGACAC), Orchard Management & Field Operations (Pruning/Training, Thinning, Irrigation/Fertigation) (AFAGACAL)

Keywords

• Apple orchard operations
• Pick-your-own fruit
• Fruit tree nursery sales
• Craft fruit brandy
• Fresh pressed cider

Headquarters

HQ city

Shelburne

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fresh Apple Sales: Sell 90% of apples directly off the farm through u-pick and on-farm retail during September-October season.
2. Value-Added Products: Ginger cider, ginger jack, cider vinegar, cider donuts, and apple brandy (Dead Bird Brandy) products.
3. Apple Tree Sales: Mature apple trees (4-12 years old, 1-5 inch caliper) sold in spring for $400-$3,500 each. Trees are fully bearing, pruned, fertilized, and ready to produce fruit the year they are planted.
4. U-Pick Operations: Pick-your-own apple and peach operations with hay rides during September and October.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Shelburne Orchards operates a 60-acre family-owned apple orchard in Shelburne, Vermont, producing apples, peaches, pears, sour cherries, and table grapes. The business sells 90% of its apples directly off the farm through U-Pick operations, an on-site farm stand, and mature apple tree sales (4-12 years old), while also running an on-site distillery producing Dead Bird Brandy apple brandy and Pommeau alongside value-added products such as fresh-pressed apple cider, ginger cider, cider vinegar, and cider donuts.

Product overview

Shelburne Orchards is a 60-acre family-owned and operated apple orchard in Shelburne, Vermont, offering a diversified portfolio of products and services. The primary offerings include U-Pick/Pick-Your-Own apples during the September-October season, fresh produce (apples, peaches, pears, and sour cherries), and established apple tree sales (ages 4-12 years, ranging from $400 to $3,500). The orchard also operates an on-site distillery producing Dead Bird Brandy apple brandy and Pommeau, alongside value-added products including fresh pressed apple cider, ginger apple cider, cider vinegar, and apple cider donuts. The core business model centers on direct farm sales, with 90% of apple production sold off the farm directly to consumers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dead Bird Brandy: Apple brandy distillery and tasting room operated by Shelburne Orchards

Products and services

• U-Pick / Pick-Your-Own Apples and Peaches Seasonal pick-your-own fruit experience during September and October, featuring hay rides, apple cider donuts, fresh pressed apple and ginger apple cider, and a tasting room for apple brandy. Open to families and individuals visiting the orchard during harvest season.
• Apple Tree Sales Sale of established apple trees (4-12 years old) that are fully bearing, pruned, fertilized, and ready to plant. Trees range from 1 to 5 inch caliper with prices from $400 to $3,500, with delivery available at $6 per loaded mile.
• Fresh Produce (Apples, Peaches, Pears, Sour Cherries) Fresh-picked fruit grown on the 60-acre family-owned orchard, sold primarily through on-farm retail. Apples are the primary crop, grown alongside peaches, pears, and sour cherries, with 90% sold directly off the farm.
• Dead Bird Brandy (Apple Brandy & Pommeau) Apple brandy and Pommeau produced at the on-site Dead Bird Brandy distillery, available for tasting, online sales, and curbside pickup.
• Apple Cider and Ginger Apple Cider Fresh pressed apple cider and ginger apple cider made from orchard-grown apples and sold on the farm.
• Apple Cider Donuts Fresh-made cider donuts available during the apple season at the on-farm farm stand.
• Cider Vinegar Apple cider vinegar produced from orchard-grown apples.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Woodchuck Hard Cider: Vermont-rooted national hard cider brand now owned by a large beverage company. Comparable as a New England cider category incumbent, with much broader distribution than Shelburne's on-site distillery.
• Angry Orchard: National craft hard cider brand owned by Boston Beer Company with its own innovation cidery in Walden, NY. Comparable as a scaled player in the hard cider category that Shelburne's Dead Bird Brandy participates in.

Direct peers

• Farnum Hill Cider: New Hampshire orchard-based cidermaker producing traditional and modern ciders from estate-grown heirloom apples. Directly comparable as an orchard-to-bottle cider producer with a specialty, estate-grown positioning.
• Lyman Orchards: Multi-generational family orchard in Connecticut offering pick-your-own, farm store, and value-added products. Comparable in operating model, agritourism focus, and direct-to-consumer fruit sales.
• Westview Orchards: Family-owned Michigan orchard with pick-your-own, farm market, bakery, and cider mill. Comparable as a multi-generational family orchard with a diversified on-farm retail and value-added product mix.
• Terhune Orchards: Family-owned New Jersey orchard with u-pick, farm store, bakery, and on-site winery. Comparable as a diversified, family-operated orchard with agritourism and value-added products.
• Honey Pot Hill Orchards: Family-owned Massachusetts orchard with pick-your-own apples, farm store, and hard cider. Closely matches Shelburne's direct-to-consumer, multi-product orchard format in a similar New England market.
• Champlain Orchards: Family-owned Vermont orchard specializing in u-pick, fresh apples, and hard cider from estate-grown fruit. Directly comparable as a Vermont-based, multi-generational orchard with a similar D2C and value-added product strategy.

Regional players

• Cold Hollow Cider Mill: Vermont-based cider press, bakery, and retail operation. Comparable for the cider, donuts, and farm-store overlay, though it is more of a mill/retailer than a grower.

Emerging players

• Tuthilltown Spirits: New York State farm distillery best known for Hudson Whiskey and other craft spirits. Comparable as a farm-based craft distillery channel that converts estate/sourced agricultural products into premium spirits.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Shelburne-Orchards-203822586339804
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shelburne-orchards

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Shelburne Orchards