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Co-owner
Seaquist Orchards | Sister Bay
Kristin Seaquist is co-owner of Seaquist Orchards, a multi-generation family business that is both the oldest and largest cherry producer in Door County. Located in the heart of Wisconsin’s cherry industry, the farm was established in the early 1900s by Anders Seaquist. Kristin and her husband, Dale, represent the fourth generation of family leadership of the business.
Serving as the public-facing portion of the business, Seaquist Orchards Farm Market sells a variety of jams, salsas, baked goods and other products originating from the farm. A major tourist attraction, the market draws visitors annually between late May and late October.
Kristin has led the market since it opened in the mid-1980s, overseeing its expansion to include a fudge kitchen, bakery, greenhouse and playground.
Seaquist Orchards consists of about 1,000 acres of tart cherries and more than 50 acres of apples and sweet cherries. It grows and processes up to 9 million pounds of Red Tart Montmorency cherries annually. By comparison, Wisconsin tart cherry production totaled 10.5 million pounds in 2021, according to the USDA. Seaquist’s processing business processes about 80% of the county’s tart cherries.
While some of the orchard’s cherries are used by its own bakery, cannery and market, the majority are sold wholesale. The farm also grows about 30 varieties of apples that are both sold at the market and pressed into apple cider.