OUR STORY

People often ask how a former business consultant from Australia ended up planting cherry orchards on the coast of Maine.

The short answer is that life has a habit of taking unexpected turns.

When Justin and I bought Blenheim Park, we came with a plan. We intended to build a photography workshop business, plant cherry orchards, and create a range of value-added products from what we grew here. The property gave us the space to bring those ideas together in one place, and from the beginning we saw it as both a home and a working business.

What we could not have planned quite so neatly was the way Blenheim Park would continue to grow around those foundations. Workshops led to long-standing friendships and a community of returning students. The orchards opened the door to seasonal gatherings, farm products and new ways of welcoming people onto the property. One idea tended to lead naturally to another, and over time the business became more varied, more connected and, in many ways, more interesting than the original plan.

Looking back, none of it feels like a collection of unrelated ventures. The orchards, workshops, products, events and stays are all different parts of the same place, shaped by the same desire to make something thoughtful, useful and worth returning to.

We wanted to create a place where people genuinely enjoyed spending time.

Some visitors come for a workshop. Others come to wander beneath the blossoms, stay in one of the cottages, or browse the Orchard Pantry & Apothicaire. Some discover us through a jar of cherry preserve or a bottle of bitters and eventually find themselves sitting beside the lake a year or two later.

We love that.

One of the nicest surprises has been seeing how many people return. A workshop student comes back for Hanami. Someone who stayed in a cottage later joins a photography retreat. A local family introduces visiting friends to the orchard. Over time, familiar faces become friends, and that's probably the part of Blenheim Park we're proudest of.

Of course, none of this happens in isolation.

We're fortunate to be part of an extraordinary community of growers, makers, artists, chefs, musicians, photographers and small business owners who make Midcoast Maine such a special place to live. If our guests leave with a deeper appreciation for this corner of the world—and perhaps discover a favourite restaurant, gallery or quiet harbour along the way—then we've done something worthwhile.

People sometimes ask what Blenheim Park will look like ten years from now.

The honest answer is that we don't know.

There will almost certainly be more trees. A few more ideas that seem slightly ambitious today. Hopefully more reasons for people to gather, more opportunities to support local producers, and more ways of caring for this remarkable place responsibly.

Beyond that, we'd rather let the property tell us what comes next.

For now, we're simply grateful that so many people have chosen to become part of its story.

If you've visited before, thank you for coming.

If you haven't yet, we hope we'll have the opportunity to welcome you soon.

— Kerry Payne, Orchardist and Alchemist, Blenheim Park Maine