E3: Beyond the Harvest: The Hidden Work of a Family Farm

Discover the remarkable journey of White House Fruit Farm through four generations of family stewardship in this heartwarming conversation with Kim Sisco. What began with turkeys and a superintendent grandfather has blossomed into one of northeast Ohio's most beloved agricultural destinations.

Kim reveals the fascinating evolution from simple lawn sales to their current year-round operation featuring three kitchens, a deli, and a full market of fresh, local produce. Behind those perfect strawberries you pick in June lies years of planning and cultivation—just one of the farming misconceptions she gently corrects. Whether you're a young family packing school lunches, an older adult seeking a small sweet treat, or anyone craving the quintessential fall farm experience, White House Fruit Farm welcomes you.

Perhaps the most valuable insight comes when Kim discusses navigating the notoriously difficult transition between generations in a family business. With candor and wisdom, she explains how they preserved both relationships and business continuity through "heartaches and headaches," creating a blueprint for future succession. Most touching is her genuine appreciation for customers: "If we didn't have customers, we'd all be working different jobs and growing fruits and vegetables as a hobby." This profound gratitude for community support exemplifies why White House Fruit Farm has become more than a business—it's a cherished institution where relationships flourish alongside the crops. Visit them at 9249 Youngstown Salem Road just outside Canfield, and experience this special place for yourself!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Stacey Willis.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Hi and welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of some freshproduce and gorgeous scenery?
Well, it may all be closer thanyou think.
Today I have the pleasure ofwelcoming your good neighbor,
Kim Sisko from White House FruitFarms.
Kim, how are you?

Speaker 3 (00:30):
I'm well.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Thank you for having us.
Thank you for joining us.
We're so excited to learn allabout White House Fruit Farms,
so let's jump in and tell us allabout it.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Oh fine, so we are a fourth generation fruit and
vegetable farm.
We started off, actually, withturkeys and switched over
shortly thereafter to orchardstock, and so we have all fruits
and vegetables and herbs andflowers now and several events,
full kitchen, full market, openyear round so you said fourth

(01:06):
generation.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
So how did this all start?
What was?
What's the history behind it?

Speaker 3 (01:11):
yes, so our grandfather bought the property.
So the property has been in ourfamily line for years.
We have the deed that it goesway back.
But anyway, our grandfatherbuilt a house there, married and
had nine children and they wereraising turkeys at the time and

(01:31):
he also was the firstsuperintendent of Mahoning
County and an educator, and hiswife was a teacher.
But nine children later theystarted an orchard stock and
fruits and vegetables andstarted just selling off the
lawn and then just grew fromthere.
We moved into eventually ourold barn that was on the

(01:52):
property.
It was a functional barn andthen we've remodeled Well, I
shouldn't say remodel, we didremodel when we first moved in,
but then we've added on andadded on and so now we have a
kitchen Well, we actually havethree kitchens and a deli as
well.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
What are some myths or misconceptions people tend to
have about the farming industry?

Speaker 3 (02:15):
Oh boy.
So when guests come out toharvest, let's say picking
strawberries the strawberriesare going to come on here in
June and that's one of our firstyou pick crops Guests come out
and see plentiful, beautiful,flavorful strawberries
everywhere and they think thatthose strawberries just kind of

(02:36):
happen to be there over the lastcouple months, not realizing
that they're planted one year,two year, three years ahead and
don't really have a viable cropfor the first several years.
So they see the fun and easybut not all of the work that
happens to have that come tofruition.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Who are your target customers and how do you attract
them?

Speaker 3 (03:05):
Gosh.
Target customers are anybodythat wants fresh, local, whether
it be lunch meat or whether itbe your fruits and vegetables or
your flowers or anything freshand local.
That's our customer.
So in the fall everybody comesto the farm.
It just kind of clicks that theweather's cool and it's harvest

(03:27):
time and you want to come andget your fall decorations and
your pumpkins and apples andhave that farm experience.
But year round we have motherswith young children, people that
are packing lunches, some olderpeople that just need a small
sweet treat and they wantsomething that's fresh.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
So just about across the board everyone.

Speaker 3 (03:58):
Outside of the farm.
What do you do for fun?
Oh gosh.
Personally, I love nature andanything physical, so if it's
running, walking, climbing,bouldering, anything that gives
my body a challenge, that'soutside is where I want to be
All right.

Speaker 2 (04:12):
Well, let's switch gears for just a minute.
Can you describe a hardship orchallenge that you have overcome
in your life and how it madeyou stronger stronger anything
come to mind sure so as abusiness.

Speaker 3 (04:27):
um, as a business, transitioning from my
grandfather's leadership andownership into the next
generation was a big challenge,even though we worked in the
business.
It was very hard, family-wise,being fourth generation, you
know coming through all thosegenerations, all those opinions,

(04:48):
all those thoughts.
A lot of businesses don'tsurvive that and we were able to
navigate through that, with,you know, some heartaches and
headaches as well, butdefinitely stronger for it and
that gives us a blueprint intothe future on how to navigate
through the next generationscoming so business-wise.
That gives us a blueprint intothe future on how to navigate
through the next generationscoming so business wise.

(05:09):
That would be a challenge thatwe made it through.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
And Kim, please tell our listeners what you want them
.
One thing you want them toremember about White House Fruit
Farms.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
Oh, how much we appreciate our customers.
We have often said if we didn'thave customers we would all be
working different jobs andgrowing fruits and vegetables as
a hobby, just for ourselves,because that's our love.
So to know that we reallyappreciate those relationships,
those regular customers that wehave, build friendships with,

(05:43):
that we see off of the farm andstand and chat with, because we
know a little bit about eachother from them coming whether
it be customers that come justin the fall, that we see yearly,
or ones that come every week ora couple of times a week that
we truly, truly do appreciatethose people and the
relationship that we have in thecommunity.

Speaker 2 (06:04):
And how can our listeners find you guys?
What can they do to find WhiteHouse Fruit Farm?

Speaker 3 (06:12):
We're super easy to find.
We are at 9249 Youngstown SalemRoad, which is Route 62, just
right outside of Canfield, andso we're open every day, save a
few holidays.
So it's easy to come out andvisit us nine to five every day,
except Sunday, which is 11 tofive, and then
whitehousefruitfarmcom at ourwebsite.

(06:33):
We'll give you a ton ofinformation, and we have some
upcoming events as well, andthey're on there, and we're also
on Instagram, we're on Snap,we're on Twitter all those
things you know.
We're on Snap, we're on Twitter.
All those things you know, allthose areas.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
TikTok.
You know wherever you want togo, all right, well, kim, I
really appreciate you being onthe show, and we wish you and
your business the very best.

Speaker 3 (06:58):
Thank you so much for having us.

Speaker 1 (07:03):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
podcast podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gmpyungstowncom.
That's gmpyungstowncom, or call330-355-3122.