Giffen Orchard has over 130 acres of apple orchards and more than 16 different varieties. Each apple is handpicked at its peak ripeness before it’s handpacked into our Giffen Orchard bags.
We believe in a less travelled apple which is why we deliver directly to your local grocery store. With minimal handling during shipment, your receiving a product at its optimal freshness.
The Giffen family came from Scotland to Canada in the 1830’s. They were one of the first pioneer families in the area. Andrew Giffen, cleared and farmed the land which is now the town of Creemore. The family has a rich history in the area and continues in the agriculture business to this day.
In 1939, Frank and Eileen Giffen purchased 85 acres in Glen Huron, a few kilometres west of Creemore. The micro climate in the Glen was perfect for growing apples and they soon had the first orchards producing the most popular varieties of the day. McIntosh, Spy, Duchess and Gravenstein were some of the top sellers. Frank and Eileen sold their apples at the door and also started packing and delivering to local stores. Some of their crop was packed in barrels and shipped as far as England.
In the 1950’s the cold storage was expanded and a packing facility was added. The business continued to grow and in 1981 a new storage and packing plant was built on the home farm in Glen Huron. The controlled atmosphere storage held up to 36,000 bushels of fruit mostly grown and produced from the family orchards.
