The Founding Era
In the 1940s, the Beck family laid the first roots along the pristine shores of Loughborough Lake. Their vision was simple: to cultivate a landscape of diverse heritage varieties that would serve the Inverary community for generations. These trees, many of which still stand today, became the foundation of our storied harvest.
Mr. Beck had a close friend, Dr. Boucher from Kingston. Dr. Boucher planted a "twin" orchard along with Mr. Beck on the west side of Inverary. This orchard was the original "Loboro Orchard" that the local community knew well as a fall U-Pick destination.
Decades of Bloom
For nearly half a century, both "Loughborough" orchards were a focal point of local agriculture. The unique climate near the lake provided the perfect conditions for growth, allowing rare apple varieties to thrive. Of course, they were not "rare" when planted - the varieties were well known in those early years. The original "apple house" in use during those times is the present day two-story Farm Store and farm volunteer living area.
The Quiet Transition
After the passing of Mr. Beck in 1996, the precious trees grew wild, their heritage potential waiting for a new pair of hands. This period of dormancy preserved the soil and the integrity of the original stock, untouched by modern pesticides.
The Organic Revival
In 2014, Marc and Stella Hiemstra began the ambitious journey of organic farm restoration. Through painstaking pruning and ecological planning, the orchard was brought back to life. Today, we celebrate this heritage story with every apple picked, honouring the past while nurturing a sustainable future. Although our location is not the original Loboro Orchard location (owned by Dr. Boucher) the name is still preserved as a memory to those times and this incredible lakeside location. We've had many, many visitors tell us that when they were children, they visited both orchards and knew them well. One gentleman told a story of how, when he was a boy and lived on Lakeside Road, he would "steal" apples from the tree on the corner and munch on them while waiting for the bus to take him to school. This tree is still there!
