True Entrepreneurial Spirit

 

When Ashley Krupczak says Echo Hill Orchards and Winery is a family business … she means it.

Indeed, while there are other team members at this Monson institution, the driving forces — figuratively but also literally when it comes to the tractors — comprise two generations of this entrepreneurial family.

There’s Rich and Terry Krupczak, who purchased this orchard more than 25 years ago, and three of their children, Ashley, Chris, and Mia. There’s also, Greg, their oldest child, who passed away in 2022, but remains a huge presence in this multi-faceted operation.

“He was a big part of Echo Hill, and he’s what keeps us going together,” said Ashley, who handles most of the marketing and public relations and acts as official spokesperson, adding that he is remembered with one of the many signature drinks created by the team at Echo Hill.

It’s called Farmer Greg, and it’s a mix of raspberry moonshine and iced tea. It’s part of a growing roster of specialty drinks that also includes Beach Cowboy, made with Jamaican apple rum mixed with orange juice and pineapple juice, with a sugar cinnamon rim and a grenadine floater; Painkiller, made with Jamaican apple rum, cream of coconut, pineapple juice, orange juice, and shaved nutmeg on top; Hoochie Coochie, which features spicy Monson apple vodka, margarita mix, fresh jalapenos, a Tajin rim, and fresh lime; and the OG Mule, made with Monson apple vodka, Goslings ginger beer, and fresh lime.

The offerings are always changing, said Ashley, noting that the depth of this drink list provides just some evidence of how much this family business has evolved over the years — and continues to evolve.

“My brother handles all the farm work, but during the winter, we’re closed down, so I’ll help him trim the apple trees and get the orchards ready.”

Indeed, when the family acquired the orchards 26 years ago, it was a pick-your-own-apples operation, with peaches and pears added to the mix over the years. The ‘you-pick’ offerings have since expanded to now include pumpkins and sunflowers, and blueberries should be added to the portfolio over the next few years.

“People come in, buy their bag, walk out into the orchard, and pick their own,” she explained, adding that this remains a large and important part of the overall operation, especially in the fall months to come.

But the biggest change has come over the past decade or so, when the Krupczak family started making wines from their various fruits, she said, adding that it soon added vodkas, whiskeys, and moonshines to the mix.

These are acquired tastes — and acquired talents, she went on, noting that, like everything else, this is a family affair; Rich handles most of the wine making and distilling, while Ashley is in charge of coming up with the various drink options.

And with these new offerings, Echo Hill has added tastings and winery and distillery flights, whereby consumers can sample five selections, she said, adding that there is a now a full bar and winery where there are tastings, wine by the glass, alcoholic slushies, and those aforementioned signature drinks, which vary with the season and even the week.

For the last weekend in July, after which the winery shut down for a month so the staff could prepare for the busy pick-your-own season, several fall favorites were offered, including a cotton candy slushie, Blue Collared Boys (made with Monson bourbon whiskey, ginger ale, and a splash of apple cider and lime), and the Sugar Daddy, made with Echo Hill’s cider donut whisky, apple cider, and a sugar and cinnamon rim — as well as the a caramel apple sangria and pumpkin pie sangria.

As for wines, Echo Hill now has more than a dozen offerings, including the hugely popular Goblin Grog, a pumpkin chardonnay that goes very quickly in the fall, as well as a sour wine made with apples and blueberries and a blue sangria offered around Halloween called Spooky Sangria.

Meanwhile, Echo Hill books a full schedule of local food trucks — everything from Cousins Maine Lobster to Tony’s Happy Valley Pizza to Rooster’s Roaming Cantina — making the orchard a true destination throughout the year, like many area wineries and breweries.

With its Monson location, Ashley explained, Echo Hill draws visitors from not only Western Mass., but also Connecticut (with easy access off I-84) and, during the fall season, “from all over, really — New Hampshire, Vermont, Florida, you name it.”

As for the pick-your-own aspect of the business, it remains a huge part of the operation, she said, noting that the season officially begins Aug. 30 with apples (more than a dozen varieties) and sunflowers, with pears, peaches, and pumpkins added to the mix by the end of September, with the weather determining exactly when.

Last year was a difficult one, she went on, adding that heavy and persistent rains washed out the peaches and pears, as well as many of the pumpkins. This year — and she acknowledged that it’s still quite early in the game — the outlook is much brighter, in every respect.

As she noted, this is truly a family-owned and operated business, where everyone works together, but each member has a realm that is largely their own.

“My brother handles all the farm work, but during the winter, we’re closed down, so I’ll help him trim the apple trees and get the orchards ready,” said Ashley, noting that her younger sister, Mia, will soon be coming on full-time and will help both in the orchards and in the winery.

Meanwhile, they all work together to develop new offerings and keep the operation on the cutting edge, if you will, when it comes to bringing various audiences to the farm — and then bringing them back.

The Krupczaks have enjoyed great success doing just that over the past quarter-century, and they are on a trajectory for continued growth and ongoing evolution of its varied offerings.

In short, their hard work and entrepreneurial spirit is bearing fruit — in all kinds of ways.

—George O’Brien