Right in the center of Limington, Maine, on 60 rolling acres, you’ll find Brackett’s Orchard. It’s the kind of place that feels like it’s always been there, and in a way, it has. The Brackett family has been growing apples for ten generations. Their roots go all the way back to two orchards right here in Portland, one in Deering Oaks and one on Munjoy Hill, before the family settled in Limington in 1783.
Manley Brackett, the eighth generation, lived in the main farmhouse until he passed away in 2022 at 100 years old. His daughter, Debra, and her husband, Guy, spent years caring for the orchard’s 7,000 trees after that, keeping the family tradition going strong.
Old Know-How, Small Traditions
Spend a little time at Brackett’s and you’ll pick up some of the wisdom that comes from centuries of growing apples in Maine. Honeycrisps are always the first to come off the trees, while most other varieties can hang on through two or three frosts. And if you look closely, you’ll notice a small bag tied to every single tree. Inside? Human hair from the local barber shop. It’s an old trick for keeping the deer away, and it works.
You might guess that pick-your-own is the heart of the business, but it’s actually a pretty small slice of it. Most of what Brackett’s grows goes out as wholesale apples and fresh-pressed cider, which means you’ve probably enjoyed their fruit without even knowing it.
A New Chapter
In 2025, the orchard turned a new page. Guy’s sons, the tenth generation, left Boston and came home to take over. They’re eager to grow the farm while keeping everything that makes it one of a kind. They’ve started hosting weddings among the trees, and with a little friendly nudging from us, they finally built the donut-making facility we’d been dreaming about for years. The family never had the bandwidth before, but this time they made the room. (We’re very glad they did.)
Growing Together
Those cider donuts have become a neighborhood favorite, and our partnership with Brackett’s has grown right alongside them. It’s a great example of something we love about being a small, independent grocer. Because our team is small, local farmers and makers can work with us one on one to test ideas and develop new products, then get them onto our shelves and into your kitchen.
Next time you grab a bag of Brackett’s apples, a jug of their cider, or a warm donut at the market, you’re tasting ten generations of Maine farming, and the start of something new.
