Hacklebarney Farm and Cider Mill

What Hacklebarney Farm and Cider Mill does

Hacklebarney Farm and Cider Mill is a privately-held, family-owned farm established in 1851 in Chester Township, Morris County, New Jersey, currently operated by Karen Jacobson Collins with assistance from her husband Kevin Collins. The farm is approximately 3 miles from historic downtown Chester and operates on the same site where the original farmhouse and barn were built in 1850-1851 by Robert D. Pitney. The business runs on a seasonal basis, opening in May through June and again from Labor Day Weekend through October, with 7 total employees and no outside investment or parent company.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer farm store selling apples, fresh cider, cider donuts, and hot dogs (the latter from a dedicated 'hot dog building' converted in the mid-1990s), supplemented by u-pick orchard experiences, a corn maze, and a pumpkin patch during the fall season. Beyond retail, the farm monetizes its physical site through three event-based revenue streams: structured educational field trips for K-3 schools, homeschoolers, scouts, and special needs classes (priced at $20/child with $100 deposits); corporate team building events with corn maze challenges, pumpkin contests, and scarecrow building; and private events including birthday parties, showers, anniversations, graduations, family reunions, and corporate gatherings hosted May through late September. All sales, experiences, and events are conducted exclusively on-site, with no e-commerce, wholesale, or third-party distribution channels. Marketing is limited to a Weebly-hosted website and email-based inquiry handling, with no disclosed paid advertising, social media programs, or content marketing.

Name

Hacklebarney Farm and Cider Mill

Legal name

Hacklebarney Farm

Website

https://hacklebarneyfarm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1851

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hacklebarney Farm and Cider Mill is a family-owned farm in Chester Township, NJ, operating since 1851, selling apples, cider, donuts, and hot dogs on-site while hosting educational field trips, corporate team building events, and private parties on a seasonal basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Orchard and Cidery

NAICS

Apple Orchards (111331)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Cider & Orchard Fruit Production (Apples/pears for cider & processing) (AFAGACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cideries & Meadery Tasting Rooms (THAFALAI)

Keywords

• U-pick apple orchard
• Cider mill products
• Agritourism experiences
• Farm educational tours
• Corporate team building

Headquarters

HQ city

Chester Township

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Farm Store Retail Sales: On-site sales of apples, cider, cider donuts, and hot dogs from the farm store and hot dog building. Products are sold directly to visitors during operating season.
2. Field Trip and Educational Tours: School groups and educational organizations pay per-person fees for structured farm tours including apple picking, cider, donuts, and educational lessons. Revenue is event-based with deposit requirements.
3. Corporate Team Building Events: Corporate groups pay for team building activities including corn maze challenges, pumpkin carving contests, and scarecrow building competitions, with catering available as an add-on.
4. Private Events and Parties: Birthday parties, showers, anniversaries, graduations, family reunions, and corporate gatherings hosted on the farm from May through late September. Event coordination handled by Jill or Karen.
5. Seasonal Agritourism Activities: Seasonal revenue from corn maze navigation, pumpkin patch visits and picking, and apple orchard picking experiences available primarily in September and October.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Hacklebarney Farm and Cider Mill is a fourth-generation family orchard that grows apples and produces fresh apple cider, cider donuts, hot dogs, and baked goods sold through its on-site farm store. The farm additionally offers a pick-your-own apple experience, seasonal corn maze and pumpkin patch activities, and a slate of agritourism services including K-3 field trips, educational tours, corporate team-building events, and private parties/celebrations.

Product overview

Hacklebarney Farm and Cider Mill is a historic family farm established in 1851, located in Chester Township, NJ. The farm operates a unified farm store selling apples, cider, donuts, and hot dogs from a converted red building. Beyond retail, the farm offers educational programs including structured field trips for schools (K-3, homeschoolers, scouts) featuring lessons on apple lifecycle and bee biology, plus apple picking in their orchard. The farm also hosts corporate team building events with activities like corn maze navigation, pumpkin contests, and scarecrow building. Seasonal attractions include a corn maze and pumpkin patch, with spring openings in May-June and fall operations from Labor Day through October.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farm Store (Apples, Fresh Cider, Cider Donuts, Hot Dogs, Baked Goods) The on-site farm store at Hacklebarney Farm sells apples harvested from the orchard, freshly pressed apple cider, cider donuts, hot dogs, and baked goods. It serves individual visitors, families, and tourists visiting the farm for the pick-your-own and agritourism experience.
• Pick-Your-Own Apples A seasonal u-pick offering where visitors walk through the apple orchard and harvest their own apples. It is aimed at families and individual visitors during the autumn harvest season.
• Educational Field Trips and Group Tours Guided on-farm educational visits tailored for K-3 school classes, special-needs groups, homeschoolers, scouts, teachers, families, and adult organizations. Activities are differentiated for age/audience and priced per child for school field trips.
• Corporate Team-Building Events Organized corporate agritourism events featuring team-building activities set on the farm, designed for employee groups and adult organizations.
• Private Parties and Events Private celebrations and parties hosted on the farm with catered food and entertainment packages, targeted at families, birthday hosts, and private group organizers.
• Seasonal Events (Corn Maze, Pumpkin Patch, Hayrides) Seasonal autumn attractions at the farm including a corn maze, pumpkin patch, and weekend hayrides for general visitors and families.

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Giamarese Farm & Orchards: East Brunswick, NJ farm offering u-pick apples and pumpkins, farm market with cider, donuts, and baked goods, plus school and group tours. Comparable direct-to-consumer New Jersey orchard-and-farm-store model.
• Wightman's Farm: Morristown, NJ farm with a farm market, u-pick apples, cider, donuts, fall corn maze, and school group visits. Direct competitor in the same Morris County catchment as Hacklebarney.
• Alstede Farms: Chester, NJ farm operating u-pick orchards, farm store, cider, donuts, corn maze, pumpkin patch, and educational field trips within a few miles of Hacklebarney. Essentially a head-to-head competitor for the same Morris County visitor base and school group channel.
• Demarest Farms: Hillsdale, NJ farm offering a farm store, apple picking, cider, donuts, and seasonal fall activities plus birthday party and group event hosting. Comparable Northern New Jersey agritourism positioning and customer demographic.
• Terhune Orchards: Princeton, NJ farm with u-pick apples, farm store featuring cider, donuts and baked goods, school field trip programming, and a strong fall agritourism season. Highly comparable product offering and educational-tourism business model.
• Battleview Orchards: Freehold, NJ family farm with u-pick apples, farm store, cider, donuts, baked goods, and school tour programs. Same direct-to-consumer agritourism model and similar Northeast apple-cider-donut offering.
• Johnson's Corner Farm: Medford, NJ farm combining u-pick produce, farm market with cider and baked goods, corn maze, pumpkin patch, school field trips, and private events. Comparable full-stack agritourism business model.
• Hillview Farms: Gillette, NJ farm with u-pick apples and berries, a farm store featuring cider and donuts, and fall season activities. Direct competitor serving the same Northern/Central New Jersey family demographic.
• Stony Hill Farm: Also located in Chester, NJ, Stony Hill operates a farm market, u-pick apples, fall corn maze, and seasonal events targeting families and school groups. Same geography, same product mix, and same seasonality profile as Hacklebarney.

Broad incumbents

• Beekman 1802 / Beekman Farm: Larger multi-product brand anchored on a Sharon Springs, NY farm that combines farm store, agritourism, and branded CPG (cider, baked goods, merchandise). Comparable farm-to-retail brand play at a more national scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hacklebarney-farm-and-cider-mill

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Hacklebarney Farm and Cider Mill