Friske’s retail operation expanded greatly in 2000 with the purchase of Elzinga’s Farm Market on US-31 near Atwood, just two miles from the main farm. The seasonal market was turned into the beautiful year ‘round Friske’s Farm Market, which includes Fruit Stand, Bakery, Orchard Café, General Store and Country Haus Gift Shoppe, as well as family-oriented attractions like the Barnyard Petting Zoo and Orchard Playground.
History:
Richard and Olga Friske arrived in northern Michigan in 1952, leaving their war-torn German homeland behind. They worked hard at several ventures while their children were born before purchasing a run-down, bankrupt, 240-acre farm near Charlevoix Michigan in 1962. Richard and Olga, along with their three young children, labored to rejuvenate the orchards and build their dream, Friske Orchards.
