Family Business & Diversity: How 6th Generation Owners Continue the Legacy
Before I sat down to write this article, I sat down with two of my children and watched the 1994 version of the movie “Miracle on 34th Street”, a John Hughes production based on the 1947 classic. This version starred Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins, Dylan McDermott and Mara Wilson. What a wonderful movie; it provides twists, turns, sadness and happiness. In the end, it gets you excited about the holidays.
You may ask, what does this have to do with Huber’s Orchard, Winery, & Vineyards? Prior to spending time with Ted, Greg and Dana Huber, I saw a regional icon where friends and families from all over gather together for reunions, birthdays, anniversaries, or just to enjoy some family entertainment; I saw a place with fresh apples, strawberries, pumpkins and other produce that you can pick yourself or a place where you can purchase what has already been picked. Businesses can rent out a variety of venues for company picnics; and loved ones can get married under the stars with a vineyard in the background behind the minister.
You may ask again, what does the movie have to do with Huber’s Orchard, Winery, and Vineyards? After I spoke with Ted, Greg and Dana Huber, I saw decades and decades of outstanding twists, turns, sadness and happiness as had been seen in the movie. In movies, diversity builds the storyline and creates or deepens the plot.
Simon Huber came to Starlight, Indiana in 1843 and settled the tract of land where Huber’s Orchard, Winery, & Vineyards stands today. The family that remained on the original tract of land to continue the tradition of farming was Carl and Marcella Huber. Pictures of Carl and Marcella hang over the mantle today, celebrating their roots. Carl and Marcella began working in the dairy business which includes the dairy barn that now houses Huber Winery. This barn was built in 1938. The family encountered similar economic times to that of today. The war began shortly after they started their business, causing what many people encounter when taking a risk to start a business. They had to fall back to what they knew best, which was raising fruits and vegetables. This was a twist, turn and possibly sadness for what Carl and Marcella envisioned for their business. The direction at this time was to continue the wholesale of fruits and vegetables.
Carl Huber was the 4th generation and brought up the 5th generation of seven children in the hard labor of harvesting all of the fruits and vegetables raised on the farm. Carl Huber passed away in 1966, causing the 5th generation to continue managing the business along with their mother Marcella. As in many family businesses, the next generation had “other ideas” to make money. This was the start of the “pick your own” product.
Two brothers from the 5th generation, Gerald and Carl, stepped forward to express their interest in continuing to own and manage the original property. Gerald and Carl were like most small businesses and had a tight budget. Word of mouth became the best form of marketing. Word of mouth developed yet another twist in the fantastic journey. The twist created family traditions of traveling to Starlight and picking your own fruits and vegetables, which in turn, increased sales. The brand that Gerald and Carl created was, and is, the brand that is known today. Gerald, Mary Jeanne, Carl and Linda Huber, all created the brand of high quality produce and their outstanding hospitality. The Hubers realized that becoming a large seasonal business called for them to begin to diversify into planting strawberries, peaches, pumpkins and even Christmas trees. How creative and forward thinking from my point of view, but their point of view was to bring the customers back season after season.
The 5th generation diversified a step further when they took advantage of an initiative to open a winery in the state of Indiana. The state of Indiana assisted in getting into the winemaking business. In 1978 when Huber Winery opened, the company became Huber’s Orchard & Winery. The first bottle of wine was strawberry; and today, Huber Winery annually produces over 50,000 gallons of wine.
The view of the 5th generation was to build the business for future generations. Again, another twist and much more diversity developed when a cheese factory, ice cream shop and a family farm park were built. What a forward thinking generation to look at what they had before them, then to build upon it for generations to come.
Ted and Greg Huber of the 6th generation, who worked in the business their entire lives, began working full-time in the mid to late ‘80s and worked with the 5th generation for 10 years, side by side. Ted and Greg were then appointed co-owners of the business in 1991.
Ted and Greg understood that diversifying makes sense if the plan matches your business model. The thought of becoming a distillery also seemed to fit well in the business model. They did a tremendous amount of research and traveled around the country. They found that one of the advantages they have is that they control the manner in which fruit is grown and harvested. They found that they were the first ones to pursue a distillery and winery license in Indiana. It took over a year, but the license was granted after a lot of time spent with legislators and laws were written. The Starlight Distillery opened in 2001, and now with several thousand cases sold, their portfolio consists of many award winning brandies, infusions, ports and grappa. The brandies are made of self grown apples and grapes without the use of artificial additives or flavorings.
To build and grow the wine leg, Huber’s Orchard, Winery, & Vineyards started Indiana’s first wine trail – The Indiana Uplands Wine Trail, www.indianauplands.com. Along with seven other wineries, they joined forces to take advantage of cooperative opportunities and to market the quality of wines produced in the state of Indiana. In 2005, Huber’s Orchard & Winery was named “Master Winemaker” by the Indiana State Fair Masters and was recognized by Lt. Governor Becky Skillman.
To grow the activities for families, they expanded the Family Farm Park to include a mountain slide, a jumping pillow, tile and bamboo mazes, miniature Kubota tractor rides, and pedal karts.
And, finally to grow the special event planning of Huber’s Orchard, Winery, & Vineyards, Ted and Greg built Plantation Hall in 1998. This facility seats up to 1200 people in three different rooms. All menus are prepared on-site by the Huber team and Huber’s has hosted many weddings, receptions, company outings, and other special events since it’s opening. Plantation Hall was one of the biggest steps toward diversity for the 6th generation owners.
Huber’s Orchard, Winery, & Vineyards have had their share of twists, turns, sad and happy times. I asked Dana Huber a series of questions:
Ø What hurdles, if any, have been dealt with in the past years?
· “Our business can be affected by the weather, the economy and gas prices; although over the past few years, we have seen an increase in the number of visitors that appear to be staying closer to home or the “one tank trip” families. We consider ourselves to be one of Indiana’s premier agritourism destinations. A place where you can bring the entire family – there’s something for everyone. A hurdle is to always keep our eye on quality and never let our business plan stray us from our goal of “outstanding customer service and high quality products.” Sometimes diversity can also be our challenge or hurdle, many things to do and manage. A hurdle would be to diversify our business in ways that only match our business plan.“
Ø Schools have taken tours of Huber’s Orchard, Winery, & Vineyards – how has the business changed?
· “What started out in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s with a few school tour groups touring the farm to pick an apple or pumpkin, has grown to over 11,000 children who book tours each year to participate in our Johnny Appleseed Tour or Fall Harvest Day. The business has grown and includes not only local schools in Clark and Floyd counties, but a tremendous number of schools from Jefferson County in Kentucky and other Indiana counties; a side of our business that is truly made possible through local support from our public and private school systems.“
Ø How many family members work at Huber’s?
· “Full- time: 6 family members, Part-time-seasonal: a bunch! Brothers, sisters, mother-n-laws, father-n-laws, first cousins, neighbors, good friends, and the list goes on……“
Ø How has technology played a role in the business?
· “Technology has played a huge role in the success of the 6th generation. Without the ease of the internet, it would be close to impossible to respond timely to the requests that we receive each and every day. Our business requires that we interact with people from all over the world – Germany, France, Italy, California, and many other places in the US. Technology helps us to get there timely to stay competitive in today’s market.“
Ø How is Huber’s Orchard, Winery, & Vineyards involved in the community?
· “At Huber’s Orchard, Winery, & Vineyards, we value the importance of community service. We try to support our local businesses, schools, churches, and other service organizations whenever possible. Both Ted and Greg serve on a number of local boards which include: One Southern Indiana, Community Bank, Providence High School, Federal Reserve Bank Agritourism Council, Floyd Memorial Foundation, and the Indiana Wine & Grape Council.
Ø If readers want to contact Huber’s Orchard, Winery, & Vineyards what is the best way?
· Media Contact:
Dana Huber
19816 Huber Rd.
Borden, IN 47106
Dana.huber@huberwinery.com
(812) 923-9463
www.huberwinery.com
Huber’s Orchard, Winery, & Vineyards has experienced twists, turns, sadness and happiness as in the movie “Miracle on 34th Street”, but one thing is certain, a visit to Huber’s is not only for the holidays! While at Huber’s I saw hundreds, if not thousands of people enjoying all the different aspects of the business. I stood in front of the winery and saw so many diversifications, it was amazing. The Ice Cream and Cheese Shop, Huber’s Farm Market with fresh produce, cheese, fudge, and the smell of bread just taken out of the oven all just about knocked me off my feet. Other sights I saw included painted pumpkins, tractors pulling trailers of people to the pumpkin patch to get their pumpkins, pedal karts, wine tasting, a café where you can grab a bite to eat, people preparing for a wedding reception, and Sean and Natalie Peak having wedding pictures taken. What an awesome venue for your next special event!
