Meet our Team

Our story begins in 1927, when Maurice and Else Grisamore, along with Else’s mother, Renata Koch—left the Chicago area and settled in Locke, where they raised 3 children—Jane, Paul, and Elsie. Maurice was a conductor on the New York Central Railroad, and after one of his co-workers purchased a nearby farm, our family decided to do the same. In those early days, the farm operated as a dairy farm working out of the iconic barn, which is now our farm store.

Our first fruit grown on the farm was in 1939 when the first strawberries were planted. A family friend, Glen Rexwinkle from Michigan, arrived with 300 strawberry plants. Glen’s father ran a large strawberry farm that shipped berries by railroad across the U.S. With Glen’s help during the first few years, the strawberry fields flourished, eventually Maurice Grisamore traveled to Michigan to learn more about growing strawberries until eventually he began selling to Stevens and Hicks, the local grocery store in Locke.

By 1941, the strawberries had taken off, residents were buying in bulk to keep that sweet flavor through winter. Local fruit production was becoming a delicacy, only available during the spring. Residents soon began to seek out more fruit which led Grisamore Farms to start planting more fruit plants.

Local women began picking for income during the war efforts, they would be in the fields in the late afternoon to avoid the head. Many of the berries were sold to Atwaters - a large grocery store in Ithaca - while others were set out on the front porch for neighbors and the local community members to purchase.In 1952, the fields were finally opened for u-pick to reduce labor costs, allowing people to pick and choose their own berries for eating and preserving.

Paul took over the farm in 1950, he added raspberries and started chicken farming shortly after. Paul married Christine Henjes, from New Jersey in 1955. They met while____________. She worked on the farm until she passed and as a nurse until she retired. Together they raised four daughters—Susan, Betsy, Mary Ann, and Joanna, who grew up working on the farm and carrying on their legacy.

The girls remember the flood of 1972, when nearly the entire strawberry crop washed out, leading them to quickly think ways to diversify for the future of the farm. They began planting vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage to help them through the season. It wasn’t long until they decided to grow other fruiting crops as well. 25 acres of blueberries were put in and a couple of years later our first apples were planted in 1975. Cherries were added to the orchard in 1978.

The 70’s was a pivotal time for the farm. Changing its model from more conventional farming to trusting in the success of the u-pick strawberries. The barn was converted from an animal barn into a farm store to sell all the produce that was now available. The farm animals, such as pigs, cows, goats, sheep and the chickens were sold off to make space - except for Alice, our beloved cow who began our tradition of keeping lovable farm animals at the farm store pasture. Alice is now honored in the Grisamore Cider Works logo and signature hard cider variety. These small or rather big changes truly began to change the nature of the farm, from one that did not have many visitors to one that had daily customers visiting the store and picking in the fields.

In the same era the first greenhouse was built. Initially for growing crops to be planted in the fields, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, etc. and then turning it into a place where customers could buy vegetable plants and flowers. Today it is a five bay gutter connect 18,000+ square foot greenhouse, built in 2010.

Paul purchased a wooden apple press in 1982 that we still use today for our thriving apple cider business. The benefits of using a nearly 50 year old press is all of the flavor that remains in our sweet cider. The apple business became so popular on the farm that in 2000 they re-built the back side of the barn, adding a larger industrial cooler for the apples, a kitchen space as well as more space for the press and cider operations. The u-pick farm offered Paul and Christine a way to be creative with ever changing crops and seasons. There was once 5 acres of asparagus grown for u-pick. Pears and Peaches were planted, maple syrup was harvested, potatoes were dug up and so much more!

The legacy that Paul and Christine Grisamore created 60 years ago is still alive today. Many updates and changes have happened since those early years, but the nostalgia that hits is ever present. Joanna, Mary and Susan ran the farm as a power house of strong women. They grew the greenhouse business into what it is today with their passion and care. Our fall activities, u-pick pumpkins and farm grown mums are all thanks to their hard work. With Susan and Mary having passed in 2024 and 2025, Joanna carry’s on the legacy with her nephew Jesse Ingall (Betsy’s son). He is passionate about the history and traditions of the farm, while keeping on eye on new ways the farm can run and operate in our ever changing world. Figs, the sunflowers maze and our events are all thanks to Jesse’s dedication and hard work. Together - Joanna, Betsy, Jesse and other family members continue to till the fields, prune the apple trees, fill the greenhouse, harvest the crops, press the cider and keep the farm running smoothly.

We are grateful for our heritage and history here on the farm and look forward to the next generations of Grisamore’s and all the changes to come.