Thursday, March 28, 2024

Way Fruit Farm to open downtown SC location

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STATE COLLEGE — Way Fruit Farm is bringing its farm-fresh goodness to downtown State College with a new market and café on Calder Way.

Located at 250 E. Calder Way — former home of Rotelli, and, most recently, Little Food Court — Way Fruit Farm Downtown plans to open sometime in mid to late summer.

With two floors of space to work with, owner Jason Coopey, who operates the farm with his wife Megan (Way) Coopey, said the plan is to “bring as much of our life down there as possible.”

That “life” the Coopeys are talking about is a long-time Centre County tradition.

The sixth-generation family farm produces apples, peaches, pears, plums, apricots, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, sweet corn and pumpkins on its property out on Halfmoon Valley Road in Port Matilda.

A retail store on the farm with a café, bakery and deli are a popular stop for both locals and visitors to Centre County alike.

The farm is also known for its many fun, family friendly events, such as Art in the Orchard and Fall Craft Show.

“We have been part of the State College community since 1826 and we really love this region. Downtown State College is really a unique spot and we think we could really help out and bring some more life to it,” said Coopey.

While the Coopeys and their team can’t bring the whole farm to the new location, when the market and café opens downtown, folks in State College won’t have to travel so far for Way’s fresh produce or its popular apple cider and apple cider donuts.

Coopey hopes to provide quality food choices to students and others who live in town.

“I am a little biased, but I think we have some very good, quality produce. Our apples, the peaches, heck we even have plums and all these crazy things, and the flavor of them is going to be better than what you get at the grocery store, the quality of them is going to be better than what you get at the grocery store. … What we are hoping to do is not only bring good

nutritious food downtown, and bring it in a way, with the quality that people want to buy it,” said Coopey.

The upstairs of Way Fruit Farm Downtown will have a farmers market feel, with fresh produce from the farm along with baked goods and a café.

Downstairs customers will find a seating area along with the jarred goods and other retail products that the farm store is known for.

“We think it is just a great way to bring us closer to some more people. … There are so many people who come to visit this town who don’t even know about us out here,” said Coopey.

He said he hopes some of the people who visit the downtown location will eventually make their way out to the farm and see what life is like in Halfmoon Valley.

With just a few hurdles to jump through to get to the opening of the new location, Coopey said, “We are just looking forward to being downtown and helping downtown grow.”