You could own this 50-acre NJ farm with a cider orchard and farmhouse
In the northwestern most region of New Jersey is a sprawling 50-acre farm that was once run down and dilapidated. But over the last 24 years, it has been transformed into an agricultural venture with an orchard, a cider-making facility and a historic, but updated, farmhouse.
And now it's for sale.
Known as Colonial Cider, this new and improved property at 25 Clove Road in Wantage is on the market for $1.399 million. While the farm originally dates back to the 1700s, Christine and Marc Tremain — the duo behind Team Tremain at Weichert Realtors and the property's listing agents — said the current owner was dedicated to revitalizing the land when he purchased it in 2001.
"He's been slowly working on this vision and his dream to make this property into a destination of agricultural tourism for the area," Christine said.
The expansive Sussex County farm — which officially became preserved farmland in 2017 as part of the Sussex County Farmland Preservation Program — features a large dairy barn that has been renovated into a fully approved commercial cider-making facility, equipped with apple crushers, fermentation vessels and filtration equipment, among other things.
The current owner had also created an 18-acre organic orchard on the property that consists of 20 different 200-year-old American apple varieties. Christine said there are also other fruits that grow on the farm, including blueberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches and plums.
"There's also a whole host of English, French and Spanish pear trees that can be used to make Perry wine, which is currently a very undertapped market," she said.
And while the property is accessible on Clove Road, Marc said the current owner had also put in a second entrance behind the farm off of Skytop Road that acts as an entryway for guests visiting the cidery,
"He removed a lot of these stone walls that were around the farm, and a lot of those stones from the walls actually wound up becoming the foundation for the farm road that he wound up building to access the property off of Skytop Road," he said.
The farmhouse, which was initially built in 1740 and had several additions, has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It also features a spacious front porch, two wood burning stoves, original oak and pine flooring and an abundance of both wood and stone detailing.
Marc said the current owner modernized the property and made it more functional for today's use. He installed new insulation and windows, shored up the home's foundation, got a new roof and updated the electrical system. Marc said he made sure to preserve the historic home's classic farmhouse aesthetic.
Additionally, there is an acre of land on the property that is specifically designated to be used for the creation of a new residential dwelling.
To go along with all of those features, Christine said that whoever ends up purchasing the property will also receive the farm's Plenary Winery license. Obtained under the LLC Colonial Cider, she said the license is brand new and has never been used.
The license — which permits both wholesale and retail — allows the property to grow and cultivate grapes or fruit on at least three acres on, or adjacent to, the winery or cidery. It also allows the property to produce any fermented wines, as well as to blend, fortify and treat wines.
"It is an extremely specific property. The demographic that wants this is very, very small," Christine said. "We find that a lot of the calls we're getting are people that are interested in organic farming and they're interested in homesteading, and we're just so close to finding the right buyer."
Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.com.