SPARTA, MICH — Stop number two of FOX 17's Fall Crawl brings us to Schwallier's Country Basket.
The family farm has become a fall tradition for many in West Michigan, thanks to their delicious donuts, apples, and plethora of activities for all ages.
"We want everybody to feel like everybody's welcome, grandpa to baby, and come out and have a little something for everybody," said Adam Brauer of Schwallier's Country Basket. "We have the petting zoo, and we have slides, we have some activities for smaller kids. And then on the weekends, I have a barn we moved from 10 Mile. We call it...the new old barn. The Amish brought it down here, and we put a cafe inside. We have wood fire pizzas and root beer floats and ice cream in there."
Brauer's in-laws started the business in 1989.
"They're fifth-generation apple growers," he explained. "They wanted a way to have a roadside availability for selling their fruit directly to consumers. And my mother-in-law is a darn good baker, so she started making donuts and pies, and then so I'd say, for the past 25 years, we've grown it into everything we have today."
You can still find pies and baked goodies inside the farm market, along with plenty of donuts.
Brauer said on a busy weekend, they can make and sell up to 20,000 donuts!
"We do three different types of donuts. We have pumpkin spice, which people love, the cream cheese, and we have apple cinnamon sugar. That's always a favorite. Mine's the salted caramel glazed apple cinnamon sugar. And then we have our cake or old-fashioned donut dough," he said. "We have two donut machines, and we can run them from 5 am to 5 pm and I have a small army back there trying to help decorate them."
Along with corn mazes, slides, and other attractions, Schwallier's also boasts a "fan favorite" apple cannon.
The cannons are located in the farm's Back Forty area, which requires paid admission.
Brauer estimates anywhere from 10-15 thousand people visit Schwallier's during their busy fall season.
"It makes us happy because we get to own, operate and manage business that's locally doing well," Brauer said. "We're providing food and nourishment for our neighbors, but we're also having fun, and we're also something that always gets a smile on people's face."
To learn more about Schwallier's and to plan your visit click here.
Check out the first stop of our Fall Crawl: Ed Dunneback and Girls Farm Market.
Where should Elliot and Janice head next?
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