In 1958 John Orus Farnsworth traded his dairy farm on Creek Road (which is now Willow Creek Country Club) for 50 acres in Sandy. He build a home planted an orchard, a very large garden and started an apple cider business.
In 1963, 45 year old John married 20 year old Sharon Myers. John was always young at heart! They had 5 children: Sherri, Leo, Rochelle, Rebecca and Randy.
In the early years of the apple cider business, the Farnsworths used a ‘rack & cloth’ press and would produce between 60 and 150 gallons per day. It was a family business and everyone who was old enough (usually 5 or 6 years old) was expected to work on the farm and in the cider mill. Leo remembers learning to drive the tractor at 5 years old carrying 5 gallons of glass bottled apple cider in one hand when he was 7. In those days you could get a gallon of Farnsworth Farms Apple Cider for $2.00 if you brought your own glass jug, or $2.25 for a plastic bottle. You-pick apples were $.10 a pound.
In 1986, the money Sharon was making from her Sunrider business was enough to support the family and the farm so John decided this was a good time to improve the farm. All of the fruit trees were torn out and replanted with newer, tastier varieties. The apple cider business was put on hold until the new trees started producing fruit again, which was about 8 years.
By the time the trees were producing enough fruit to start making apple cider again, the Department of Agriculture had drastically changed the rules on what type of equipment you could make apple cider on and what codes the building had to meet. The Farnsworths invested over $300,000 on a new building and all new apple cider production equipment.
In July of 2002 at the young-of-heart age of 84, John had a massive heart attack and died while working out at their Utah County farm. His son, Leo, took over the responsibility of running the Cider Mill and farm. His sisters Sherri & Rochelle manage all of the 2 businesses bookwork and other farm responsibilities.
Farnsworth Farms is still a family run business with extended family helping out. We love what we do and work very hard to produce great tasting, healthy produce for our customers.
