There’s been a Lehman’s Orchard farm in Michigan’s Great Southwest for more than 88 years, but for the last two and a half years a new labor of love by farm owner Steve Lecklider has crafted an amazing new Lehman’s Farmhouse in a familiar part of downtown Buchanan and installed his new brewery, winery and distillery and will slice the ribbon on that new space for his formal Grand Opening ceremonies tonight.
The Farmhouse actually began as a simple inquiry into a run down, city owned, former Clark Equipment Company laboratory building those two and a half years ago. Earlier last month Lehman’s Farmhouse actually took flight in phase one which features Lehman’s own beers, wines, ciders, and brandies along with 100 other items brought over from Lehman’s Orchards. Its a dream come true, with developing products which will come from both the orchard and from the Southwest Michigan area.
In re-purposing the Clark lab building, phase two included developing an onsite drink menu including fruit beers, session beers, IPA’s, porters, and stouts. The Farmhouse cocktail selection uses their own apple brandy as a base. Also, a selection of appetizers and deserts accompanies their served drinks.
Then Steve added his kitchen which currently serves a few sandwiches and some snacks, but eventually is destined to host a pizza oven and more.
For Lecklider, it’s all about support of local, sustainable agriculture.
The present Lehman’s farm was traded by Ralph Lehman way back in 1929 for a farm in Northern Indiana. Founder Ralph Lehman, a school teacher by trade, tried many different crops and finally settled on raising 40 acres of tart cherries.
From the beginning, his cherries were always hand harvested.
Ralph and his wife, Raphael had one child, Sarajane, who married William Lecklider. It is their middle son, Steve, who now operates the orchard full time, and has given birth to Lehman’s Farmhouse which takes a formal bow with the Buchanan Area Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting, Business After Hours, and Grand Opening tonight, Wednesday, August 23rd, beginning at 5:30pm at 204 N. Red Bud Trail in downtown Buchanan.
The second and third generation fruit growers (William, Sarajane, and son Steve) took over Lehman’s Orchard in 1992 and have since added many other fruit crops sold at the farm and at various Chicago farmer’s markets.
In 1951 Ralph Lehman added the tart cherry pitting machine and a building to wash, clean and sort the cherries, and through the years, they sold many different crop related items before adding in the Winery and Cidery to the Farm Market in 2008.
Lehman’s Orchard, itself, is a 4th generation U-pick farm and market located in Niles. While attending various Chicago farmers markets from the years 2000-2015, the business has added 180 different value added products from jams, salsas, honeys, vinegars, ciders, and wines made onsite from fruits grown at the orchard.
The new Lehman’s Farmhouse is a 12,000 square foot former laboratory that has been re-purposed into a brewery, winery, and distillery. The farmhouse market opened in April of this year and carries the multiple products from Lehman’s Orchard market plus its own beers and spirits. The taproom opened in July and has a full menu of locally sourced items plus the beers, spirits, wines, and ciders. You’ll find the new taproom open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4pm to 9pm, Fridays & Saturdays from noon until 10pm, and Sundays from noon until 5pm year round.
