ZVS Orchard – Grower Juan Zuñiga-Vazquez
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Grower: Juan Zuñiga-Vazquez
Juan Zuñiga-Vazquez began working in the apple industry when he came to America in 1999. For the following 20 years after he moved to America, he worked in every role on the orchard. He fell in love with working with the trees, everything from trimming to picking to marketing. Zuñiga-Vazquez always loved being outside, but once he started working in the orchards, he found that it was where he belonged. It soon became his dream to own his own orchard. In 2020, he had the opportunity to make that dream a reality, which is now ZVS Orchard, LLC.
Farming with a Purpose:
Today, Zuñiga-Vazquez’s passion for his own orchard is producing the best quality apples that he can. He is proud to be one of the few Hispanic-owned apple producers in the state of Michigan. He gives back to his heritage by participating in “La Cosecha,” a program that provides training and resources to the next generation of Latino and Latina farmers.
At ZVS Orchard, he grows a variety of apples, including Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Cortland, EverCrisp, Empire, McIntosh, Ida Red, Enterprise, and Gold Rush. Zuniga-Vazquez sells these apples to a range of apple brokers, ensuring that his crop reaches customers far and wide.
Zuñiga-Vazquez emphasizes the year-round commitment to owning an orchard. There is no true “off-season”, even in the middle of winter. The weather in Michigan is extremely unpredictable, where sudden changes can damage the crop. He stays vigilant, knowing that proper care and attention lead to a successful harvest. Alongside other farmers in the area, Zuñiga-Vazquez also has his orchard blessed by a priest each year, hoping to promote prosperity and protection for the coming season.
The Next Generation:
Zuñiga-Vasquez hopes that his orchard will continue to expand in the coming years. As his children get older and graduate from college, he hopes that his business will be large enough to accommodate their involvement.
One of his children, Araceli Zuñiga, recently received a scholarship from the Michigan Apple Committee. The scholarship is going towards her education at Grand Valley University, where she studies business and minors in non-profit. Araceli hopes to follow a similar path to her father, eventually owning a cattle farm and joining the family business. She looks forward to a future where she can create a space for troubled youth to work with their hands in animals and nature, finding peace as she did. Araceli is immensely proud of her father’s hard work and dedication that led him to own and run an orchard.
