Pierson Geyer of Agriberry Farm holds a flowering blackberry plant.
Pierson Geyer’s parents have been farming fruit in Virginia since the mid-1980s and established their own farm in 2008. Approaching the final phase of a five-year business transition plan, Geyer is preparing to obtain full ownership of Agriberry Farm in Hanover County. Taking the reins means managing employees and migrant workers; planting, farming and harvesting fruit; then distributing hundreds of thousands of pounds of fragile fresh produce. We caught up with the VCU graduate to discuss how he navigates the fruitful operation.
Richmond magazine: How many people do you currently employ?
Pierson Geyer: During peak season, we have between 80 and 90 people on payroll, and during the downtime, it’s around 12 to 16, with a blend of annual full-time and part-time [employees].
You need to be able to work out in the elements and make sure you’re working quickly, because there’s always plenty to do. And because it is simple, not necessarily easy, that’s made it accessible to anybody from a 14-year-old in their very first job to a seasoned migrant laborer here on an H-2A visa. [There are also] retirees who are more interested in maybe doing the farmers market side and looking for supplemental income and [to] feel connected to their community.
Fresh-picked strawberries at Agriberry Farm in Hanover
RM: What fruits are popping off and when?
Geyer: May is all about strawberries. At the end of May, raspberries get rolling. By the second week of June, black, purple and red raspberries, as well as blueberries, blackberries and muscadine grapes, are all on the scene. We start doing “pick-your-own” every other Saturday in June. Our CSA [community-supported agriculture program] starts up in May as well, so we’re going to all the weekly farmers markets. A ripe, fresh-from-the-vine blackberry is probably my favorite fruit all the way around. Blackberries probably have one of the widest floor-to-ceiling experience spreads.
RM: Once you’ve bought your farm-fresh fruit, should it go in the fridge?
Geyer: Generally, your goal is preservation, and refrigeration will help that happen. But it’s not necessary for you to put fruit in the fridge. All berries [are different,] but, generally, trying to get your fruit as cool and dry as possible for preservation is best. Wait to wash until right before eating, as opposed to [washing] and then [storing], because if you wash and store, you’re inviting moisture into the equation that can negatively impact longevity.
RM: What do you do with imperfect fruits?
Geyer: We have a commercial kitchen where we make essentially value-added products from the bumped and bruised fruit. Trying to mitigate waste is a big part of being sustainable. We’re making jam with all our “second fruit,” and we also make applesauce, apple butter, and blackberry syrup and oat bars. We offer that as a wholesale option to supply other local jam makers, as well as local breweries who are doing fruit-infused beers and things like that. We find a home for all the fruit.
RM: Can you tell us about any collaborations you have coming up?
Geyer: Hardywood Park Craft Brewery is one of our most long-standing relationships. Our businesses are almost the same age, and we’ve experienced growth together over the last 15 years or so. We’ve been a steady partner in their Virginia Roots series, which uses locally sourced ingredients, and we have supplied blackberries and raspberries for two of the beers in that line.
RM: What should we know about the CSA?
Geyer: It’s a good model to support the farm and build a strong habit of fruit consumption. It’s the kind of thing you can sign up for midseason, and it goes all the way until the end of October.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
