Esther and Frank Weigel, photographed with their children, have reimagined and reinvigorated what is now Everly Farms. Even more additions are coming this summer! Photo: Emily John Photography
The owners of Everly Farms create a gathering place, focused on food, drinks and family.
When husband-and-wife team Frank and Esther Weigel closed on their Minnetrista orchard and winery in 2021, they were diving into a true passion project. “We really had no experience with wine, except that we like to drink wine,” Frank says. Their family—which includes three young-adult children and now 6-year-old twins—was dividing time between home base in California and a vacation home on Lake Minnetonka. When COVID-19 began, they found themselves spending more and more time in Minnesota. “Then, this orchard came up for sale, just six minutes from our house,” Frank says. “I was going to retire and had always wanted an orchard.”
It was a match made in heaven. The Weigels purchased Minnetonka Orchard (renamed Everly Farms) from its longtime owners, the Schaper family, and decided to breathe new life into the beloved you-pick apple orchard and the on-site winery, which was mostly defunct. “We basically started from scratch,” Frank says. “We hired a new winemaker and bought new equipment.” They named the winery and orchard Everly Farms after their 6-year-old daughter, Everly, and also make hard apple cider under the label Easton Cider Co., after Everly’s twin brother, Easton.
Everly Farms Winery has just around an acre of its own vines. Photos: Everly Farms Winery and Everly Farms
After a summer of hard work, by autumn 2021, the Weigels were ready to open the orchard for its first you-pick apple season. They’re slowly renovating and adding to the buildings on the 43 acres, which include a retail barn, various food huts, play structures and the winery. A large event space hosts weddings and event meetings. And for the past few summers, Everly Farms Winery has offered popular wine-and-pizza nights, where visitors can try a new bottle of wine and a wood-fired pizza in the beautiful setting of the orchard. “Pizza nights grew rapidly,” Frank says. “We’d open at five o’clock and have people lining up at four for pizzas. We’d sell out within an hour and a half.” These events, in particular, have been a great way to show off the winery to neighbors and guests. “We’ve had great support from the community, and it’s been a great experience to get to know the people that live around here,” Frank says. The orchard has historically been a favorite gathering place for families in the area, and he’s eager for that sense of community to continue. “We also really wanted to raise our twins outdoors,” he says. “I think when you grow up on a farm, it’s just a good way to start life.”
Everly Farms (formerly Minnetonka Orchard) has been a mainstay visit for many local families and school groups.
This summer, Everly Farms is ready to expand its wood-fired pizza concept—and then some—at a new full-service restaurant, The Table at Everly Farms, opening this summer. “We’re really excited about this restaurant and wine-tasting room,” Frank says. “It’ll be upscale but still approachable and family-friendly with lots of shared plates, wood-fired pizzas and charcuterie boards.” The restaurant will suggest specific food-and-wine pairings, so guests can taste the winery’s wares with optimal complements. “This will really help us make the orchard itself a year-round destination,” Frank says.
Creating wonderful dishes for The Table at Everly Farms is a delightful endeavor.
Corks for a Cause
As they worked to reinvigorate the orchard and Everly Farms Winery, Frank and Esther Weigel looked for a way to give back to their community. In 2023, they hosted the winery’s first Corks for a Cause, a gala that raised funds for the Eli Hart Memorial Playground at Surfside Park in Mound. Last summer, the winery’s second annual fundraiser benefited Minnesota’s Crescent Cove, one of the country’s only hospice and respite facility, specifically for children. “Families who have terminally ill kids need a lot of help and care,” Frank says. “Crescent Cove provides nursing care and helps take some pressure off those families.” Last year’s Corks for a Cause—which included gourmet pizzas, Everly Farms wine, desserts, an auction and live music—raised nearly $100,000 for the organization. This summer, Corks for a Cause will once again benefit Crescent Cove.
Philanthropy, including Corks for a Cause, is important to the Everly Farms Winery team.
Corks for a Cause 2025: August 16 (Time TBD) at Everly Farms Winery. Purchase tickets at everlyfarmswinery.com.
Vineyard Wisdom
Sean Reeves is Everly Farms’ winemaker and cidermaker, who was brought on by the Weigel family to help overhaul the winemaking operations and bring the taste of Midwest grapes to new palates. His journey to Everly Farms is as serendipitous as they come. “I was originally an engineer,” he says. “My wife and I actually went to Minnetonka Orchard [now Everly Farms] years ago, and they were doing a wine and cider class. I love it, and it inspired me to start making wine and cider at home as a hobby.”
“We bring in quite a few Minnesota grapes, like Marquette, La Crescent and Itasca,” winemaker Sean Reeves says. He wants to help expand the tastes of Midwest wine drinkers, focusing on drier and more complex varieties.
The couple relocated to California, and Reeves made the leap to get his degree in enology. When he moved back to Minnesota, he discovered that the orchard team was hiring for its new Everly Farms venture. “I realized it was the same place that inspired me to make a career change. It’s very cool,” he says.
Reeves guided the winery team in purchasing new equipment, including high-quality barrels, and sourcing regional grapes. “We bring in quite a few Minnesota grapes, like Marquette, La Crescent and Itasca,” he says. (Everly Farms has just around an acre of its own vines.) Reeves wants to help expand the tastes of Midwest wine drinkers, focusing on drier and more complex varieties. One way he’s doing that is through the Everly Farms wine club. Members sign up to receive eight or 16 of the winery’s bottles each year and receive discounts on food at the restaurant and merchandise. “And we’re talking about orchard season passes,” Reeves says. “We want to make the wine club a way for people to come out and really enjoy some wine, apple picking, and family and friends in this beautiful environment.”
Everly Farms Winery and Everly Farms
6480 County Road 26, Minnetrista; 763.325.4024
Facebook: Everly Farms Minnesota
Instagram: @everlyfarmsmn
