In Business: Wallin Berry Farm Celebrates 40 Years Of Berries

A little farm on the outskirts of Nisswa has been providing berries to the community for the last 40 years. Wallin Berry Farm is open for the summer and welcomes anyone to come out and pick their own strawberries.

“It’s a social activity. People say, ‘Oh yeah, we got to go picking!’ So they come here and they sit and visit and bring home their berries and they spend time together,“ said Wallin Berry Farm owner John Wallin.

Wallin Berry Farm, located about three miles east of Nisswa, has been family-owned and operated since 1979 when two brothers, Calvin and John Wallin, got the idea from a strawberry farmer at an auction.

“We got talking and he said he was out in Oregon. He raised strawberries out there and said it was a good occupation, a good way to make money,” explained owner Calvin Wallin. “So I talked to my brother and that’s how we got started raising berries and strawberries.”

Each year, people in the Brainerd Lakes Area flock to Wallin Berry Farm to pick their own strawberries, and in the later season, blueberries and raspberries.

“Lots of times, big families will come as a group. They take a lot of pictures and have a good time and eat some strawberries and pick some to take home,” said Jennifer Nichols, Wallin Berry Farm Field Manager.

Wallin Berry Farm is a family operation and everyone lends a hand.

“I pick strawberries and when the strawberries aren’t grown yet; I weed as well,” said grandson Theo Wallin.

“I help out my grandpa. I pick strawberries. I weed,” added Nikolas Wallin.

For the Wallins and customers alike, a trip to the farm is more than just about the berries you pick.

“Strawberries are really my happy place. Everybody that comes out here, they’re just looking to have a good time, pick some strawberries,” added Nichols. “I look forward to it every year. It’s a happy place.”