The Peru Gazette

Rulfs Orchard and Roadside Stand is undoubtedly one of Peru’s best-known businesses. Its beginnings can be traced to the fall of 1952 when Bob Rulfs’ father asked him how he was going to sell all his surplus apples. When Bob didn’t have a ready answer, his dad placed a crate of apples on his son’s front yard along with a “For Sale” sign. The apples sold in less than an hour and the rest is history. Today the Bob Rulfs’ stand sells a multitude of products and attracts thousands of local customers and North Country visitors.

Bob Rulfs is doing what he loves. He recalls telling his parents at the age of eight, “I’m going to be a farmer.” Very few people in Bob’s suburban hometown of Valhalla, NY in Westchester County dreamed of being a farmer. He says, “When the other kids were playing sports, I was either in my garden, tending chickens or shoveling snow.” While he enjoyed these pursuits he did have one limiting condition – severe allergies. Ironically, the allergies played a role in his becoming a Peru resident. Every Friday afternoon he received an allergy shot and he often talked to his doctor about his dream of being a farmer. Finally, one day the doctor told Bob, “Your father and I have been talking. I’ve got to convince you that you cannot be a farmer. I’m sending you to my mother’s farm up in Peru, NY. We’ll talk when you get back in August.” The doctor’s plan didn’t work. Bob loved the summer experience with Elmer and Rose Hartner and wanted to be a farmer more than ever.

Following his 1947 high school graduation Bob attended Farmingdale State College on Long Island majoring in animal husbandry. From 1949 to 1952 he worked on farms in Duchess County and New Jersey and saved his money. In 1952, at age 23, he purchased the Hartner’s 72-acre Peru farm. The farm included ten acres of apple orchard and Bob had enough money to buy four milking cows and three heifers.

Bob recalls those first days and the fact he didn’t know anything about growing apples. He said, “If it hadn’t been for Marcy Mulberry (the former owner of Northern Orchards on the Union Rd. in Peru) I don’t know what I would have done. I could go see him any time and talk to him about the orchard. What a super guy! Marion Mulberry helped too. What a wonderful woman!”

Over the next several years Bob bought thirty more milking cows, but in 1962 he faced another challenge. The Adirondack Northway construction resulted in the loss of 18 acres of his pasture and crop land. In 1964 he purchased the 250 acre Lester Bombard farm on Union Road in Peru. While the increased acreage solved one problem, maintaining more land required more income. Rulfs said one of Peru’s most respected farm families were a big help in those early years. “I don’t think I could have done that without the help of Kermit and Bert Irwin. When I bought the Bombard farm I had to have cows and they helped me out.” By the time Rulfs sold the farm to his son Jon in 1988 he was milking about 125 head. Today that farm is part of Adirondack Farms and Jon Rulfs milks 1,650 head.

Bob Rulfs credits his employees with many of his successes. In 1958 or 1959 employee Howard Pray suggested that Bob should try selling sweet corn and cucumbers in addition to apples. It was a good suggestion, so much so that today Rulfs’ has 14 acres of pick-your-own berries, 6 acres of vegetables, 70 acres of sweet corn and a 25 acre pumpkin patch. Along with retail sales Rulfs has also developed an impressive wholesale business selling apples and a variety of vegetables to the Hannaford, Grand Union and Price Chopper chains.

In about 1975 employee Richard Howard asked Bob to build a small green house to start tomatoes. A year or two later he convinced Bob to add petunias. Three or four years later Howard asked Bob to buy a larger “New England” greenhouse so he could add more plants. Today Rulfs has seven greenhouses filled with a huge variety of beautiful flowers, bedding plants and shrubs.

Rulfs has also added several more food products over the years. In 1983, a cider mill was constructed and cider became a great selling product. In 1986 Rulfs daughter Patty Sheehan started a bakery at one end of the stand. Today that bakery sells over 9,000 pies each year and its donuts, breads and pastries attract hundreds of customers. A Rulfs’ pie has become an integral part of many family holiday celebrations.

Honey, maple syrup, jams and jellies made by other local producers are also good sellers. Rulfs has great praise for Linda Facteau who manages both the stand and the nearby greenhouse operation.

Bob Rulfs knew he wanted to be a farmer at age eight and after fifty-eight years in the agriculture business he still looks forward to coming to work each day. Rulfs says he wants his customers to feel good when they leave his business. He obviously appreciates his employees and acts on their suggestions. Rulf’s appreciation for both his customers and his employees has undoubtedly contributed to his business success and the significant role Rulfs Orchard and Roadside Stand plays in Peru and the North Country business community.