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| Jeff, right, and Ron Schindler, photographed in April 2008 at their produce stand in Grand Ronde. |
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Schindler Family Farms
produce
newport
Shoppers who drop by the Schindler Farms Riverside Inc. booth at the Newport market this summer will be witnessing a changing of the guard. Some weeks they’ll see a familiar face: farmer Ron Schindler, who has been bringing fresh produce to the coast for nearly 30 years. But they’ll also meet Ron’s son Jeff, who has taken charge of the retail operation.
Schindler Farms has been a family business for nearly a century, and Ron has been working his family’s land all his life. Jeff spent the last13 years selling cars, but decided it was time to give his dad a hand.
“He’s not really retiring, he just has too many irons in the fire. He wants to slow down and do some things like go fishing,” Jeff said. “Basically, Dad and I started talking and he needed some help. He said ‘I need you to come,’ and I came.”
Starting in late May, the Schindler will be bringing cherries, strawberries and early vegetables like peas and lettuce. Later, they’ll have berries, melons, onions, cucumbers, potatoes, garlic, sweet corn and tomatoes – the works. “Everything a farmers’ market should have, and all grown by me,” Ron likes to say.
It all comes from Schindler family properties in Dayton, Grand Island and Amity.
“And tomatoes, of course. Dad’s big on tomatoes and the latest varieties of sweet corn, and they’ve got to be very fresh and they’ve got to have flavor. Not like what we’ve had in the stores the last few months,” said Jeff.
Jeff, who is now general manager of Schindler Farms Riverside, has taken over the family’s fruit stand in Grande Ronde, adding a drive-through window for espresso drinks and fresh fruit milkshakes. Inside, they sell everything that’s coming off the Schindler fields, plus bedding plants, hanging baskets, blueberry plants, Piontek breads, peanut brittle, farm fresh eggs, peanut butter fudge, jams and soaps.
He’s operating the stand with help from his wife, Melissa, children Tevin and Brandi, and his mother, Fran Mullican. But whether you find their produce at the Newport Farmers’ Market, or at their stand on the way to the Valley, the Schindler family goal is the same.
“Whatever we do, we want it to be quality. We love to build those relationships over the years, and keep them strong,” Jeff said. “Dad has always said that selling in Newport wasn’t just about making money. He enjoyed meeting the people, year after year.”
“I’ve gone through a couple generations in Newport already, I think. People count on me, and I love going to see them,” Ron said. “They’re like family.”
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