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<\/a><\/p>\nPOSTED ON\u00a0<\/strong>SEPTEMBER 2, 2016<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Local man chooses apple orchard over corporate career<\/p>\n Small Business Saturday: Sugar Creek Orchard<\/strong><\/p>\n By John Bush – jbush@civitasmedia.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n BEAVERDAM \u2014 An inherent desire to be his own boss and return to the field of agriculture led Gary Bassett to leave the corporate world to develop his own apple orchard.<\/p>\n Sugar Creek Orchard, located at 5395 Sugar Creek Road in Beaverdam, is the result of five years of planning, planting and harvesting, as well as a leap up faith for the former business intelligence software developer.<\/p>\n \u201cI found that I really don\u2019t fit well in the corporate world where I\u2019m not in charge,\u201d said Bassett, owner of Sugar Creek Orchard. \u201cNow that I\u2019m out of the corporate world, I\u2019m all in on this.\u201d<\/p>\n The road to the apple orchard wasn\u2019t easy, however. Up until the fall, Bassett maintained his position as a business intelligence software developer as he was trying to get his business off the ground. He didn\u2019t even start harvesting apples until last year when the trees began to bear fruit.<\/p>\n Even then, Bassett didn\u2019t sell a single apple. Instead, he gave away thousands of pounds of apples to family, friends and members of the community who heard about his endeavor through word of mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year I just wasn\u2019t ready to sell anything,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t have business insurance, or a lot of other things you have to have to face the public. I just ended up giving everything away.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, Bassett\u2019s company is fully certified as an LLC, and he has begun selling the apples he\u2019s spent half a decade cultivating. He said he and his wife have planted close to 1,000 apple trees on 10 acres of land.<\/p>\n Bassett, who has a degree in agronomy from The Ohio State University, sells more than 30 varieties of apples, including gala, fuji, honeycrisp, braester and more. He grows the apples in two separate fields on his father\u2019s property in Beaverdam, where he also sells them.<\/p>\n In addition to apples, Bassett sells candles \u2014 mostly apple-scented \u2014 and plans to start producing apple jam, cider and sauce. Before he ventures out, Bassett wants to establish a strorefront on the property. Currently, he sells his products out of a fruit stand.<\/p>\n In the future, Bassett\u2019s ultimate goal is to develop a \u201cfull orchard experience.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to have a place where families can come out and not just buy apples, but also enjoy hayrides through the field, a corn maze and that sort of thing,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019d love to have a shop with every conceivable type of apple product.<\/p>\n \u201cI envision a joyful place to visit in the fall that is welcoming and accepting.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked why people should buy his apples instead of from a grocery store, Bassett noted that his products are fresher and are locally grown.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re going to be fresher than any apple you can buy anywhere because our time to market is shorter than anywhere,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re absolutely fresh, and you can definitely tell the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Reach John Bush at 567-242-0456 or on Twitter @bush_lima<\/p>\n Gary Bassett descends from William Bassett of Plymouth as follows: William Bassett and wife Elizabeth Nathaniel Bassett (b. 1628) and wife Dorcas Joyce Samuel Bassett (b. 1670) and wife Elizabeth Jones Samuel Bassett (b. 1700) and wife Alice Weaver Samuel … Continue reading <\/a>Gary Bassett, owner of Sugar Creek Orchard in Beaverdam, stands near a row of apple trees he planted with his wife. Bassett said they\u2019ve planted nearly 1,000 apple trees in the last five years, and they are now selling them to the public.<\/p>\n<\/a>Click on the link below to visit the home page for Sugar Creek Orchard
\nApples | OH | Sugar Creek Orchard<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"