HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Despite Helene setbacks, Mountain Fresh Orchards in Henderson County says business is back to normal.
The orchard has been open for 38 years and is located off U.S. 64. They sell 16 varieties of apples, and treats, including cider, donuts and pastries.
During Helene, the orchard lost 40 apple trees. Owner David Carland said that he is thankful it wasn’t more.
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A year later, Carland says that business is almost as strong as the year before Helene. He partially accounts it to curiosity.
“I think part of it may be curiosity to see the damage, and I think part of it may be just genuine concern as to how the community is coming back, and to support us — and as I’ve said, it’s been humbling to see that,” he said.
The orchard is open during apple season from the end of August to early November. Since Helene hit in September, they were only open for less than a month after the storm. Carland says during that time he wasn’t worried about business, but rather giving people a sense of normalcy.
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“Once we got opened back up, it was more to get back to something normal than anything else and a lot of folks came and wanted to know how we were doing and we’re still seeing that this year,” Carland told News 13.
As for now, he replanted the downed apple trees. The orchard is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“Weekends have been very busy; weekdays have been good. I think people are ready to get back to normal,” Carland said.