Jenna Spychal has many fond memories of spending time and helping out on her family’s orchard as a child. However, she never thought she’d have the opportunity to help run Jonamac Orchard in DeKalb County. That was until a phone call from her grandpa came in 2012.
“When I finished college, I was going into a career in veterinary medicine and so I wasn’t really thinking about doing the orchard,” she recalled. “He called and asked if my husband and I would be interested in joining the business with his son and his wife, my aunt and uncle, and we made the jump.”
After spending four years as a veterinary medicine technician, Spychal found herself in a new career. Thankfully, her educational background in biology, chemistry and Spanish helped her settle at the orchard quickly.
“Being able to speak conversational Spanish has really helped with our labor staff,” she said.
While she grew up around the farm, she still had to learn how to operate cider-making equipment and other equipment specific to the orchard.
“My husband was as green as green could be,” she said. But his problem-solving skills and background in building came in handy, especially in their first year.
Se more: Why You Should Visit Jonamac Orchard in Malta
After experiencing 80-degree days in March and the orchard going into full bloom, a spring freeze killed more than half the crop.
“I think that was a different type of ‘oh my gosh’ moment where we were like, ‘wow, what did we do?’” she said. “We left our secure jobs that we loved for something that was a bit more volatile. But it had a silver lining on it.”
Jonamac Orchard saw its biggest bloom in 2013, which led to a bumper crop of apples. Spychal tried out apple wines that fall, which turned out to be a hit with guests. The next year, she and her husband learned to make hard cider. Then, in 2016, Spychal led the addition of the Cider House for sweet and hard cider production as well as a tasting room for guests. Through the hardships and expansions, Spychal says her grandparents have been the people she looks up to the most.
“I just really admire how they follow their passion and how kind they are to other people,” she says.
Her grandparents, Jerry and Mary Lynn McArtor, started the orchard in 1984. Spychal was fortunate to work alongside her grandpa, just like she did as a little girl, for several years when she made the transition. After suffering a stroke, he retired from working on the farm, and Spychal’s family stepped up even more to keep the orchard running and growing for future generations.
Spychal is the third generation to become a partner in the business. In addition to her grandparents, her uncle and aunt, Kevin and Denice McArtor, also play an integral role in the family business. It’s one of the reasons this year’s maze design featured the “We are the 96” campaign, highlighting the fact that 96% of farms in Illinois are family-owned.
“Obviously we are one of the 96% on our farm with three generations of our family currently owning and operating our business,” she says. “Our corn maze has the ‘We are the 96%’ design and three apples representing the three generations of our family that are currently running our business.”
While working with family can come with challenges, Spychal says it creates “moments that you live for.”
“The other night, we all got together after a long day of work and had a family dinner. My kids were there along with their great-grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins,” she said. “It’s having that ability to have everybody together around a big table and laughing and enjoying time together at a place that we all adore.”
As the next generation develops, she hopes her children, Amy (7) and Cal (5), will join the business.
“I’m really anxious to see what they bring to the table.”
See more: In-Cider Information: Local Orchards Use Farm-Fresh Apples to Produce Fall Favorites
This content is part of the Partners 2023 Cultivating Our Communities series, a collaboration among Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Specialty Growers Association. It strives to raise awareness of Illinois’ diverse farmers, farms, and the food, feed and fuel they produce.
