Cupola Hollow Continues Local Farming Tradition

Cupola Hollow Farm has been in the Dunai family since the late 19th century. Originally focused on tobacco and dairy products, the farm has persevered as sisters Donna and Kathy Dunai operate a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program and offer fresh, locally made items at the farm store.

The Dunai sisters are the third generation of family to work the farm near the Massachusetts border on North Stone Street. The fourth generation, Kathy Dunai’s daughters, help tend the farm as well. Cupola Hollow's farming philosophy includes cooperation with other area farms and making sure their offerings are locally grown and farm fresh.

A large part of the farm’s produce goes toward its CSA program, selling shares of the farm’s produce production to area residents throughout the growing season. Customers purchase the shares at the beginning of the season and pick up fresh vegetables and fruits for about 20 weeks.

The CSA structure has become more common among locally owned farms, partially due to customer response. Cupola Hollow’s CSA program is nearly full this year. Donna Dunai pointed to the advantages of the program, noting the high retention rate of customers and the elimination of the middleman from the process.

Dunai said consumers take risks but also reap rewards by purchasing a CSA share, getting extra produce when big harvests come around. She was enthusiastic about directly interacting with the farm’s customers, sharing recipes and exposing people to new fruits and vegetables as well as locally grown staples.

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The farm also offers a variety of products through its farm store, predominantly made on location with resources produced at Cupola Hollow and, for some products, at other local farms. Products include jellies and jams, pickles, eggs, popcorn, fudge, pies, honey and soap among many others.

“We pick it, we pack it, we put it in the store,” Dunai said.

Their farm store kitchen is one of the first full service farm kitchens in the state. The sisters also use the facility to produce fresh bread, muffins, cinnamon buns, cookies and pastries, especially for upcoming farmers’ markets. Donna Dunai’s 30-plus years of restaurant experience has helped the sisters make many of their popular products.

Among the store’s most popular items are the hot pepper jelly, honey, goat milk soap and fudge. Soy-based candles, which burn cleanly, are a new offering this year.

In late fall, the farm also offers wreaths and cemetary boxes for the winter holidays. The farm store offers options for baby showers, weddings and corporate gifts with ready-made and make-your-own gift baskets.

With fruits and vegetables, chickens, bees and guinea hens to tend, a CSA program, a farm store and farmers’ market appearances as well as newsletters, recipe sharing, Facebook posts and more, the Dunais are fully involved in all parts of the farm.

“You’re never going to do the same thing two days in a row,” Kathy Dunai said of the farming life.

Kathy Dunai had a number of positives about the current state of local farming in the area. She pointed a strong sense of community, growing acceptance among consumers and a network of information sharing and support with other farms.

Dunai was especially thankful for Suffield's farmland preservation program, which has protected the continuing operation of Cupola Hollow and other farms in Suffield.

Cupola Hollow Farm is located at 1510 North Stone Street, West Suffield, 06093.

Cupola Hollow Farm’s store is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The store will open on Thursdays and Fridays, likely beginning in a few weeks.

For more information, visit the Cupola Hollow website and Facebook page.