Styer Orchard To Be Preserved With New Lease Deal

LANGHORNE, PA — Styer Orchard and Farm, an institution in Langhorne for more than a century, will be preserved in the years to come, according to Middletown Township officials.

The township's supervisors have voted to enter a long-term lease agreement for the 109-acre orchard and farm off of Woodbourne Road, as well as the store on the property. Previously, the farm and store had been under two separate leases.

The township intends to run the farm, orchard and store together, as founder T. Walter "Pop" Styer did after he bought the first 52 acres of the property for $4,500 in 1910.

The current farm operator, Tim Field, will take over operation of the store, Middletown Township announced. A longtime township resident, Field grew up on the property and took it over in 2019 when his parents stepped down.

"The township's charge from Pop Styers all those years ago was to safeguard this property from development and to educate the community about agriculture," said Middletown Township Board of Supervisors Chairman Tom Tosti. "Tim Field and his team will help us live up to that charge."

Located near the intersection of Woodbourne Road and Langhorne-Yardley Road, the property was originally planned as a tree nursery. During the Great Depression, Styer shifted to producing affordable fruits and vegetables for a community reeling from economic hardship and food insecurity.

He added a farm store in 1972 and the store thrived as a rural-style market for customers from nearby Levittown, as well as those in the Highland Gate, Cider Knoll and Maple Point neighborhoods that were built within walking distance in the 1980s.

With pressure mounting to sell out to developers, "Pop" Styer instead sold the property to Middletown Township for $2.2 million in 1999. He died soon afterward, on June 8, 1999, at the age of 102.

The sale, aided by Bucks County and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, was geared toward maintaining the farm as a source of affordable produce and education about farming.

Since the early 2000s, the farm and the store have been operated under separate 20-year leases. Dave Barberides has run the store since 2004, bringing an array of fresh food, baked goods and home accessories to market.

The separate leases have put restrictions on the types of goods and services each could provided and resulted in separate businesses sitting yards apart, township officials said.

As the end of the 20-year leases approached, Middletown Township began talks about consolidating with both.

"The board of supervisors’ rationale for this vision is that having one lessee oversee the operations of the entire property will allow the operator to have the freedom and latitude to grow their business without having to tiptoe around a lengthy, restrictive contract," the township said in a news release. "Additionally, a long-term lease will assure that the lessee is able to invest in the vitality of the orchard and strategic interest of the operation. This strategy was used by none other than Pop Styer himself toward the end of his life."

The board of supervisors gave Field and Barberides the opportunity to present proposals to take over the entire property. Formal proposals were submitted in December and the board voted unanimously to grant the lease agreements to Field.

Field and his then-fiancee, Kristin, moved back to the Styer property to run the orchard in 2019. Last year, they welcomed twin sons, Chase and Cole.

"Kristin and I are grateful for this opportunity to unite the orchard and the market," Field said. "We look forward to serving the community while carrying on Pop Styer's vision. I am most excited for my sons to grow up and have the same experiences as I had on the farm."

After their vote, supervisors thanked Dave and Sharon Barberides and the employees of the Market at Styer Orchard for their dedication and work. Store employees are being encouraged to submit applications for employment with the new operator, supervisors said.

Field plans to rebrand the business to communicate the unification of the farm store and orchard. He plans to keep fresh food, bakery and grocery options at the store, with produce coming from the orchard directly to the store for the first time in years.

He plans to create more products in-house, using produce from the orchard to create signature and seasonal treats, according to the township.

Be the first to know what's happening in your town and area. Sign up to get Patch emails and don't miss a minute of local and state news: https://patch.com/subscribe