For Steve and Kerrie Gonnering, family is at the heart of everything they do, and their business is no exception. Located in the countryside of De Pere, Wisc., Misty Ridge Orchard is a must-visit destination each fall where loyal customers from across the region gather to enjoy a variety of seasonal treats.
Misty Ridge offers over twenty varieties of pre-picked apples, delicious cider, fresh cider donuts, caramel apples with caramel made from scratch, and their famous homemade pies. What started as an empty plot of twenty acres the Gonnerings purchased more than two decades ago has turned into a destination for spending quality time with loved ones, unplugging, and enjoying crisp fall days!
Bringing a Dream to Life
The journey to creating a must-visit fall destination for families didn’t come without its own set of challenges. Steve and Kerrie originally bought their home and the land the orchard sits on in 1999 and always dreamed about the possibilities of what they could build on it.
“There’s nothing else like Misty Ridge in our area, and we had our vision for what we wanted to create from the beginning,” explained Steve. “When we were first looking for financing to get started, our local bank was hesitant to lend us the money.”
“It seemed like no one believed in us and what our vision for the orchard was – until we started working with GreenStone,” Kerrie added. “From the very beginning, they said ‘we’ll do whatever it takes to get you guys going!’”
In 2017, after securing their financing from GreenStone, Steve and Kerrie were able to start construction on the orchard’s bakery and retail space, in addition to ordering 1,000 more apple trees to expand the orchard.
“We opened our doors for the first time in 2018. To put into perspective the kind of growth we’ve experienced over the past few years, when we first opened, we started with eight parking spots, and we now have over fifty, plus overflow parking,” Kerrie said.
Focused on Family
“GreenStone has been with us every step of the way since we started,” said Kerrie.
“We currently have over 5,000 apple trees on our property, and with GreenStone’s help we were able to purchase an additional six acres of land to expand the orchard. They were with us through the construction project of adding on to our bakery, and we’ve even been able to finance equipment through them,” said Steve.
Riley Koller, who serves as the Gonnering’s GreenStone financial services officer, has been with them since 2019 and has witnessed firsthand the level of growth their business has had over the past few years. “It’s exciting for me to watch them continue to grow. It’s definitely a family affair, and it’s cool to see how they run their business together as a family while creating a place for families to spend quality time together,” Riley said.
The Gonnering Family
Misty Ridge is open for about ten weekends every year from late August to late October, but preparation for the season begins well in advance. Steve and Kerrie both work full-time, and each year with the help of their four children, their spouses, and around fifteen seasonal employees, they make Misty Ridge a top destination for fall family fun.
“One of my favorite parts of operating the orchard is the time we’re able to spend together as a family, whether it’s planting trees in the spring, getting ready for the busy season in the summer, or working together in the fall in the bakery or out in the field,” said Kerrie.
Supported for Success
Since they first opened, Misty Ridge has added a corn maze, petting zoo, and children’s play area to the property, and even occasionally host live music for visitors.
“One of the most exciting upgrades we’ve been able to make is when we added on the bakery and built a covered porch and patio for additional seating for visitors. We’ve also added another register to reduce the wait time for our customers,” said Steve. “That was an exciting thing because we realized just how many people we had coming to visit us that the wait time to check out was getting too long!”
The Gonnerings hope to be able to open for more days out of the week in the future and continue expanding the orchard, including the variety of produce and baked goods they offer.
“We really wouldn’t have been able to do this without GreenStone,” Steve said. “Everyone we’ve worked with has wanted us to succeed.”
“All we needed was for someone to believe in us and see our vision for what we wanted to create,” added Kerrie. “GreenStone has supported us since the very beginning, and we’re excited to keep growing with them.”
To view the rest of the 2025 fall Partners articles please click here.
