our history

Bob Rulfs arrived in Peru on March 19, 1952 from the small town of Valhalla in Westchester County.  A recent college graduate with a degree in animal husbandry,  Mr. Rulfs dreamed of owning a small dairy farm.  He purchased a farm with four milk cows and three heifer calves.

The farm Mr. Rulfs purchased also came with 12 acres of apple trees.  He sold apples in a wagon on the front lawn of his house.
In 1964, Northway (I-87) was being constructed and it consumed a good share of the farm.  As a result, he purchased another farm in West Peru. At this point he operated two farms, seven miles apart, with his two sons - ages 8 and 6.

As time went on, Mr. Rulfs diversified his crops.  In the 1960's he grew tomatoes and sweet corn.  In 1983 he added the cider mill and in 1987, the bakery. In 1988, his eldest son purchased the dairy farm so he could devote more time to the Orchard and Roadside Stand. Today, Rulfs Orchard offers over 15 types of produce grown on our farm. 

Each year we grow and become more diversified!  We are excited for our 2009 season as we will have seven greenhouses filled with beautiful flowers and vegetable plants, 12 acres of delicious strawberries and two acres of blueberries, six acres of vegetables and winter squash, 70 acres of sweet corn, 55 acres of apple trees and 25 acres of pumpkins.

In addition to the retail side, we also wholesale our products to many area grocery stores and other businesses.