Trey Enloe, owner of Bright Branch Farms near Hendersonville, was the only apple grower able to make it to the state fair this year due to Helene’s devastation of the western North Carolina apple crop.
“The big thing to remember is that we are a seasonal crop; we put all this effort and money into a crop throughout the year, and then we harvest it in a short window,” Enloe told the Carolina Journal. “This (Helene) hit right in the middle of that window. Fortunately, we were already able to pick about 40-50 percent of our crop, so that is the reason why we can be down here, we pressed some of those, but that other half of the crop that we have invested in all year went from a price that makes us money to a price that isn’t even worth picking because we are losing money.”
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler told the press last week that there would only be one apple grower at this year’s state fair.
Enloe purchased Bright Branch Farms from the original owner in 2020, but Bright Branch Farms has been coming to the State Fair for over 35 years. Enloe has struck a balance between honoring the legacy established by the previous owners while still bringing his unique flair to the business. Bright Branch Farms grows about 54 different varieties of apples.
According to NC Apple Growers Association (NCAGA), North Carolina ranks seventh in apple production, harvesting between 115-170 million pounds of the fruit each year, equating to 1-2% of the national apple supply.
The core of apple production is concentrated in four areas of the state in and around the counties of Henderson, Haywood, Wilkes and Cleveland, but especially Henderson, where eight out of every 10 North Carolina apples are grown and where Enloe’s operation is located.
While Bright Branch Farms still made it to the state fair this year, they sustained significant damage to not only their crop but also their farm.
“Overall, our area as a whole was devasted, and on our farm, we lost a good percentage of our crop from this year; we also lost trees, and this affects the crop for many years in the future,” said Enloe. “We also had some hardwood trees fall on top of our trees and damage our infrastructure. We use a trellis to grow a lot of our trees, so a lot of that was torn up, and then, of course, the erosion. Anywhere there was a creek or a small river that overflowed its banks, it caused major erosion issues.”
The Carolina Journal asked Enloe if, despite the damage, he felt Bright Branch fared better than other apple farms in western NC.
“I would say most people are similar,” said Enloe. “It seems like most of us have some kind of bottom land, and that’s really where it was affected, where those creeks got out of their beds and caused all kinds of erosion issues.”
He also addressed how Helene’s damage caused a price drop for growers in the small percentage of crops that could be harvested.
“As far as the crop goes, the wind didn’t discriminate; 70 mph winds on an apple, it’s going to bang it around and cause bruising,” said Enloe. “At the very least, if that fruit is salvageable, it’s gone from a premium quality where you would sell it in a grocery store down to a juice or sauce quality, so a significant price reduction that the farmer is going to receive and everybody that grows is experiencing something like that.”
Enloe also spoke about the storm’s impact on other farmers and the tourism industry.
“Unfortunately, there are some farmers that the back end of their crop was bigger than the front end, so they are going to take an even larger hit, so it’s tough,” said Enloe. “Then you have a lot of folks who build their businesses around tourism and that kind of thing, and our area is greatly reliant on tourism. When you have no folks coming to visit because of something like this, they are in big trouble.”
Bright Branch Farms started pressing juice about eight years ago. They press for “most of the hard cider folks around the state, and they like certain varieties of apples, so we started trying to cater to them, and then, of course, we have all the traditional varieties: Granny Smith, Gala, Fuji, etc.,” said Enloe. “We try to cover the whole gamut from the processing apples (cider, sauce, pies, etc.) all the way to the fresh eating apples such as Honeycrisp, usually higher in sugar content and generally preferred as a fresh eating apple.”
“Every year we do a specific blend, when you are making cider it’s kind of like a craft, and we try to put different apples into the blend, so it gives different traits, certain apples add acidity, certain apples add sweetness, etc.,” said Enloe. “We try to get a good blend, to get a different variety every year.”
This year’s blend includes Cameo, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and Pink Lady. These are easy-to-find “dessert apples.” This gives a good all-around blend, according to Enloe.
“I think one thing that sets me apart is that I actually grow the apples,” continued Enloe. “It’s literally from the ground up. We grow the apples, press the cider, pasteurize, drive it down here, and then serve it as well.”
Bright Branch Farms sells this year’s blend in slushy form, cold or hot spiced (allspice, cinnamon, and clove) at the state fair. This year, their stand is across from the Tobacco Barn near the Village of Yesteryear.
“It’s direct to the farmer; we are the real deal,” said Enloe. “We grow the apples in the fields all year long, and then customers can come talk to me, and I can answer any questions you have. I think that sets me apart from a lot of folks around here.”