The History of Brandywine Farm
ESTABLISHED 1982
Brandywine Farm was created in May of 1982 and quickly became a Rolla staple. Dave and Mary Hinze proudly ran the farm for years until their retirement in 2011
In 2011, there was a chance that for the first time in over 25 years the farm would close. That’s where the Marti family, came in. As loyal customers for quite some time, they knew that they needed to save the farm and keep Brandywine’s great local tradition going on uninterrupted.
So that’s how a local doctor (Doc) and his wife of over 50 years (Nan) decided to take over a blueberry farm. They knew nothing about blueberry farming, and they only had 2 months to figure out how to be ready for the opening day of berry picking.
For about 13 years the Marti family worked hard on the farm providing the local area with delicious blueberries, as well as maintaining a beautiful environment that is home to many habitats. This season, the farm has a new family (much smaller than the Marti family) working the fields and planting new things.
Just as the Marti family were new to blueberries, so are the Hartingers. Not only new to the area, but also learning about berries in a short time has been a big transition for the family in a wonderful way.
We are excited and getting ready for Downtown Rolla's Farmer's Market in May and will be set up through October. As we are taking care and looking forward to the Blueberries, we are also expanding and preparing for an acre of Thornless Blackberries. Although berries aren't readily available until the Summer months, we are currently growing a wide variety of fresh vegetables for the market and more!