What Shelburne Farm does

Shelburne Farm is a family-owned pick-your-own orchard and agritourism destination located at 106 West Acton Road in Stow, Massachusetts, approximately 20 miles west of downtown Boston. Founded in 1920 by the Clemens siblings and continuously operated through the Lynch family (1960s-1990s) and currently the Painter family, the farm spans 50+ acres with more than 10,000 fruit trees across 90+ apple varieties, 23+ peach varieties, 4+ Asian pear varieties, and pumpkins. The operation is seasonal, opening roughly August through November, and functions as the oldest pick-your-own apple orchard in eastern Massachusetts, with the underlying land encumbered by an agricultural preservation restriction ensuring perpetual farming use.

The business operates as a multi-revenue-stream agritourism destination combining on-farm pick-your-own experiences with integrated retail, food service, beverage service, group events, and educational programming. Core revenue streams include pay-as-you-go picking bags ($29 peck, $42 half-bushel), Apple Shop retail (fresh-picked fruit, cider donuts, caramel apples, baked goods, local specialty foods), the Hard Cider Barn (60+ craft ciders, 30+ craft beers), food service (lunch and grill menu, food trucks on weekends), school field trips ($9-$12/person), and tiered corporate/group event packages ($19.95-$39.95 per guest). Supporting infrastructure includes a 19th-century post-and-beam Apple Shop barn, farm playgrounds built around a 1974 John Deere Combine, hay rides, farm animal interactions, and live music events. The farm employs 9 people and operates a 25-40 guest minimum group event structure with 50% deposits on event bookings.

The technology layer is intentionally thin: Square powers online ordering, payment processing, and event bookings (including a dedicated Square storefront at shelburne-farm.square.site); Taplist.io displays the Hard Cider Barn menu; and a Rainwise weather station publishes real-time orchard conditions to the website. Distribution is regional, centered on the greater Boston metropolitan area, with marketing conducted through organic social (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), earned media (Boston Magazine Best Apple Picking recognition), email newsletter, and word-of-mouth. There is no disclosed AI/ML capability, no proprietary software platform, and no venture or institutional investment — the operation is family-financed across three generations of the Painter family.

Name

Shelburne Farm

Legal name

Shelburne Farm

Website

https://shelburnefarm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shelburne Farm is a family-owned pick-your-own apple orchard and agritourism destination on 50+ acres in Stow, Massachusetts, serving greater Boston-area families, school groups, and corporate visitors with seasonal fruit picking, retail, food service, and group events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pick-Your-Own Orchard and Agritourism

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), Farmers’ Markets & Farm Stands (Fresh Food) (CRAHAHAE), Orchard Management & Field Operations (Pruning/Training, Thinning, Irrigation/Fertigation) (AFAGACAL)

Keywords

• Pick-your-own orchard
• Agritourism services
• Farm retail sales
• Orchard event venue
• Craft cider barn

Headquarters

HQ city

Stow

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pick-Your-Own Fruit Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling apples, peaches, Asian pears, and pumpkins through the pick-your-own experience. Customers purchase bags or boxes to access the orchards, with pricing based on container size (one peck approx. 10 lbs for $29, half-bushel approx. 20 lbs for $42). Pumpkin sales are priced by weight at $0.65/lb.
2. Apple Shop Retail Sales: Fresh-picked apples, peaches, and Asian pears sold directly from the Apple Shop. The retail barn offers honey from orchard bees, caramel apples, fudge, fruit pies, coffee cakes, kettle corn, local jams and jellies, Vermont maple syrup, farm toys, children's books, and cold/sweet cider.
3. Food and Beverage: Fresh cider donuts made daily in the farm kitchen, apple crisp, caramel apples, pies, hot/cold cider, locally roasted coffee, and other baked goods. Food trucks also visit on weekends during the fall season.
4. Hard Cider and Craft Beer: Hard Cider Barn operates every weekend and holiday, pouring over 60 craft cider selections from more than 20 cideries and 30 craft beer selections from local breweries. Offers hard cider flights, pints, and carry-out options.
5. Group Events and Private Parties: Corporate, school, youth group, and organization events with tiered packages (Apple Picking Classic Lite at $19.95, Classic at $23.95, Enhanced Classic at $29.95-$32.95, Hilltop Overlook at $37.95-$39.95 per person). Includes private tent or barn rental, hay rides, food add-ons, and entertainment options.
6. School Field Trips: Educational group visits for schoolchildren with three package options: Apple Picking ($9/person), Pumpkin Picking ($9/person), or Apple and Pumpkin Combo ($12/person). Includes hay rides, playground access, and farm animal visits.
7. Online Apple Shop and Special Orders: Online ordering platform through Square for pre-ordering and curbside pickup. Special orders available for caramel apple favors, cider donut favors, and apple crisp party pans for events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Shelburne Farm operates a seasonal pick-your-own orchard across more than 50 acres and over 10,000 fruit trees, offering self-harvest experiences for apples (90+ varieties), peaches, Asian pears, and pumpkins. The farm is supported by an integrated on-site Apple Shop retail barn selling fresh-picked fruit, cider donuts, baked goods, and local specialty foods; a Hard Cider Barn pouring craft cider and beer; a farm kitchen preparing signature foods; and dedicated group event and school field trip packages.

Product overview

Shelburne Farm is a pick-your-own apple orchard operating as a single unified farm experience rather than a platform architecture. The core offering centers on seasonal u-pick fruit harvesting (apples, peaches, Asian pears, pumpkins) across more than 50 acres. Supporting the pick-your-own operation are integrated retail and food service components: the Apple Shop (retail store in a 19th-century barn), the Hard Cider Barn (craft beverage service), and the farm kitchen producing signature cider donuts, caramel apples, and apple crisp. Educational and group experiences include school field trip packages and corporate/group event packages with tiered service levels. Family entertainment is provided through farm playgrounds built around authentic agricultural equipment, hay rides, and farm animal encounters. An online ordering system via Square enables pre-purchase and curbside pickup for fruit and prepared foods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UMass Extension Fruit ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Fruit Program for introducing new planting and horticultural techniques. The partnership helps bring new apple varieties and improved orchard management practices to the farm.
• Stow Conservation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local land conservation organization to place orchard land under agricultural preservation restriction, ensuring perpetual farming use of the land.
• Sudbury Land TrusteescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local land conservation organization to place orchard land under agricultural preservation restriction, ensuring perpetual farming use of the land.
• Town of StowcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Town of Stow to place orchard land under agricultural preservation restriction, ensuring perpetual farming use of the land.
• Local Cideries and BreweriesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHard Cider Barn features over 60 craft cider selections from more than 20 cideries including local producers Stormalong, Red Apple, Carlson, Artifact; regional producers Ricker Hill, Stowe, Champlain, Shacksbury, Graft, Bad Seed, Embark; international producers Wolffer Estate, McKenzie, Hudson North, Nine Pin, ANXO, Pumphouse, Rekorderlig, Magners Peckhams. Also features 30+ craft beer selections from local breweries.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Smolak Farms: North Andover, MA farm offering PYO apples, peaches, and pumpkins, plus a farm stand, bakery, hard cider, and on-site event venue. Comparable agritourism and event-based revenue model to Shelburne Farm.
• Parlee Farms: Tyngsboro, MA farm offering PYO apples, peaches, strawberries, pumpkins, an animal barnyard, and farm-made donuts. Comparable PYO agritourism model within the greater Boston market.
• Russell Orchards: Ipswich, MA historic PYO orchard with farm store, bakery, hard cider, and wine tastings. Comparable in heritage positioning, varietal exposure, and integrated retail/cidery offering.
• Connors Farm: Danvers, MA PYO farm with apples, pumpkins, a corn maze, hay rides, and farm store. Comparable seasonal agritourism and fall destination model in the Boston metro area.
• Tougas Family Farm: Multi-generational PYO orchard in Northborough, MA offering apples, peaches, pumpkins, a farm kitchen, hay rides, and school field trips. Closely comparable agritourism model serving the Boston metro area.
• Belkin Family Lookout Farm: Natick, MA PYO orchard with a taproom/cidery, farm store, and children's play areas located in the Boston suburbs. Comparable PYO-plus-cidery-plus-attraction model targeting similar families.
• Cider Hill Farm: Amesbury, MA PYO apple orchard with farm store, cider donuts, hard cider, and tri-state CSA delivery. Comparable in scale, varietal diversity, and integrated retail/cider offering.
• Honey Pot Hill Orchard: Family-owned pick-your-own apple orchard located in Stow, MA — the same town as Shelburne Farm — offering PYO apples, pears, blueberries, and a farm store with cider donuts. Directly comparable in geography, product mix, and target customer base.

Others

• Nashoba Valley Winery: Bolton, MA winery and brewery connected to the original Clemens-era orchard land acquired by the family in 1929. Comparable as a New England craft beverage and agricultural destination with overlapping customer demographics.

Regional players

• Brookdale Fruit Farm: Hollis, NH PYO orchard and farm store offering apples, peaches, vegetables, and a farm bakery. Comparable product mix but located across the New Hampshire border, serving a partially overlapping but distinct catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ShelburneFarm
• Facebookfacebook.com/Shelburne-Farm-Pick-Your-Own-Apples-Peaches-Pumpkins-189401141132439
• Instagraminstagram.com/shelburne.farm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shelburne-farm1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Farm