How We Grow Apples & Press Cider at Sunrise Orchards
Welcome to Sunrise Orchards! We’ve been growing apples here for over 113 years. We’re so glad you came to visit. High on the hills above the Kickapoo River, with breathtaking panoramic views of the Driftless region. our work begins long before the apples are ready to eat.
From December through April, we carefully prune each tree. The trees are trimmed with hand tools. It’s a big job, but it helps us grow the perfect crop. Every year, we plant up to 10,000 new trees. These dwarf trees are planted close together, and within two years, they’re ready to grow fruit.
Pruning Tree in Early Spring
Planting New Apple Trees
In spring, the orchard fills with blossoms. Bees are brought in to pollinate the trees. The air smells sweet, and the hills come alive with color. We tie young trees to trellises and stakes to help them grow strong. Limbs are trained into place, so the trees stay small but fruitful. Throughout the season, the orchard is mowed, weeds are managed, and insects are carefully monitored. Many of our trees are irrigated, so even in a dry year, the apples thrive.
When harvest arrives, apples are picked by hand. Our crew gently fills bins, one apple at a time. Some of our pickers have worked here for over 25 years! The apples are cooled right away and stored at 34 degrees — the perfect temperature to keep them fresh. We can hold up to 80,000 bushels in our coolers. Every apple is sorted with care by both our team and our state-of-the-art equipment. And each year, Sunrise is USDA and third-party inspected for food safety.
Fresh cider is pressed once or twice a week. Apples are ground, pressed, and flash-pasteurized, with nothing added. It doesn’t get any fresher than that. And of course, our legendary cider donuts are made daily. We can make 600 dozen in an hours - and they don’t last long! You’ll also find our cider is used in our apple cider donuts, slushies, supreme slushie, apple butter, and more.
Sunrise Orchards proudly grows over 25 different apple varieties throughout the harvest season. Our apples are perfect for eating fresh, baking, freezing, canning and pickling, so there’s something for everyone’s taste! We offer apples in a variety of sizes to suit your needs: 3-apple bags, 5-pound, 10-pound, half bushels, and full bushels. To see when each variety is available see our Apple Availability page. From our apples we make a variety of products including the Queen's Apple and Caramel Apples.
Our apples and cider can also be found in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota in stores.
From our family to yours — thank you for visiting Sunrise Orchards. We hope you enjoyed learning how we bring you apples, cider, and donuts — year after year.
