PINEY RIVER, Va. – In 1915 five young brothers, Will, Massie, Doc (James), Dick (Thomas), and Sam, from a family of eleven children in Central Virginia, agreed to pool their money from selling rabbits to form a farming partnership. That small effort became the nucleus of Saunders Brothers, Inc. Today, the orchard and nursery enterprise employs over 100 people and sells plants, peaches and apples to customers along the Eastern seaboard from the Carolinas to New England.
The Depression eventually forced two of the brothers to look elsewhere for work, but three managed to hold on to the family farm, continuing to grow cattle, apples and other crops. In 1936 the brothers got wind of the generous price that peaches were bringing, $1.00 a bushel, and they immediately planted 70 acres of peaches.
After World War II, crop prices were high and several seasons of peaches helped pay off mortgages on the land. The original five Brothers had dwindled to two, Sam and Dick. Sam’s younger son, Paul Massie Saunders, propagated his first boxwood in 1947 as a 4-H project. When the boxwood slips prospered, Paul was thrilled. A corner of the barnyard was fenced off for Paul’s tiny nursery, a move that inaugurated today’s Saunders Brothers, Inc. nursery of 200 acres of container and field plant production. Orchards of apples, peaches, nectarines, and Asian pears grow nearby on one of the family home places. These enterprises and others contribute product for the Saunders Brothers Farm Market which is currently housed in the rambling shed that was the original peach packing shed.
Paul Saunders, now 81 years old, and his wife Tatum, had seven sons, all of whom grew up helping in the family business. Four sons presently handle the day-to-day operation of the nursery and orchard, and Paul continues to provide valuable input and perspective from his many years of experience. Tom manages the nursery; Bennett superintends the orchard and field nursery plantings; Jim, the Personnel Manager, directs the cattle operation and oversees the Farm Market; Robert is the Nursery Sales Manager. Over time, two more boys became part of the family, and one of them, Frank oversees the shop and equipment maintenance.
Saunders Brothers, Inc. will host commemorative events throughout 2015 at their Central Virginia location including the release of Paul Saunders’ third book highlighting 100 years at Saunders Brothers. Other events include a Centennial birthday celebration, customer appreciation days, a calendar chronicling the company history, and a wall of photos at the Farm Market depicting highlights from the last 100 years.
To learn more, visit www.saundersbrothers.com.