Dec 8, 2020Indiana Berry & Plant Co. purchases Krohne Plant Farms
Krohne Plant Farms Inc. of Hartford, Michigan, has announced the sale of its strawberry and asparagus nursery sales operation to Indiana Berry & Plant Co., located in Plymouth, Indiana.
According to a news release, Bill Krohne has decided to semi-retire, and has decided to sell the Krohne Plant Farm nursery portion of the business. Krohnes will still produce strawberry fruit and asparagus spears for the retail and regional fresh produce markets.
The Krohnes have been selling strawberry and asparagus plants to growers and resellers for over 40 years.
“They have developed a group of very loyal customers by doing a great job with quality products.” said Sam Erwin of Indiana Berry & Plant Co. “We will strive to continue to provide the Krohne level of customer service and be their customers’ new provider for plants and supplies.”
“It is important to us that our customers are able to get the highest quality plants and service for their farm and garden needs, and because of this we have decided to let our friends at Indiana Berry and Plant Company take over our strawberry and asparagus nursery business,” Bill Krohne said. “This will allow Sheila and I to concentrate more fully on our fresh sales of asparagus, strawberries and the changing needs of our growing family. We think you will be happy doing business with Sam Erwin and his employees. We have worked with them for many years and trust them to have the same high standards we have maintained for the last 40+ years. With their commitment to quality, value, and customer satisfaction we have no hesitations letting them take over Krohne Plant Farms.”
The Krohne family has been a valuable asset to the strawberry industry across the country. Bill served on the board of the North American Strawberry Growers Association and was essential in the introduction of the Archer strawberry variety. Bill said he will continue to save local southwest Michigan history by continuing to work on his collection of antique stoves, signs and other artifacts from around the area. Bill has a wealth of historical information.
The Krohne nursery production and sales operation will be moved to the Plymouth, Indiana, location and consolidated with the existing Indiana Berry & Plant Co. operations. Indiana Berry has been in business since 1982 and has grown to be one of the major suppliers of berry plants in the Eastern U.S. Its owner, Sam Erwin, has been in the berry business since the late 60s harvesting his first crop of u-pick strawberries in 1969 while still in high school and has commercially grown over 50 different crops on his Indiana farms but in recent years has focused the Indiana Berry growing efforts on the nursery crops. According to Sam, the “Indiana Berry team is looking forward to working with the Krohnes’ and their customers to make a seamless transition and continue to provide top quality products combined with great service”.
Indiana Berry & Plant Co. can be reached at 1-800-295-2226, 574-784-8535 or 2811 Michigan Rd, Plymouth IN 46563 or www.Indianaberry.com.
From left, Adolfo Vasquez Indiana Berry farm manager on the tractor; Sam Erwin, owner of Indiana Berry, and Bill and Sheila Krohne watch the digging of Archer strawberry plants a variety that the Krohnes have been essential to the introduction. Photo: IndianaBerry & Plant Co.
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