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Date: 3/12/2015
WILBRAHAM – Rice Fruit Farm is anticipated to open in late March or early April and will feature traditional as well as new offerings in the nearly 100-year-old building, which is owned will be operated by brothers Dominic and Anthony Maloni.
Dominic, a Wilbraham resident and Agawam native, told Reminder Publications they purchased the property in November 2012 because “it would be a shame if it wasn’t [renovated] and turned into something else.”
He added, “We felt like it had potential that was being under utilized.”
Jesse Rice, the longtime owner of Rice Fruit Farm, passed away in November 2010 at the age of 91. The Rice family owned the business for more than 100 years.
Dominic said he and his brother aim to have the same business model as the previous owners of Rice’s, however, one new addition will be year-round sales of homemade ice cream.
“At some point in time they did do ice cream,” Anthony, an Agawam resident who plans to move to Wilbraham, said. “I did talk to the previous baker and Amy Rice [Jesse’s granddaughter], but we’re going to expand the ice cream element.”
Rice Fruit Farm originally started out as an apple stand business in the early 1900s, Anthony said. In 1924, the Rice Fruit Farm building was constructed. There have been several add-ons throughout the decades.
Structurally the building was good before the renovation, but “all the insides were faulty to say the least,” Anthony Maloni added. “We had to basically bring the building up to code.”
One unique part of the renovation project was that wood from the building was repurposed and moved to build furniture and for the overall interior design of the building, he noted.
Anthony said Rice Fruit Farm will sell most of what it sold before it went out of business nearly six years ago, including apple cider, baked goods, full-service coffee and tea, as well as local and regional produce.
Another aspect of Rice Fruit Farm is a cider room with a press built through two stories into the foundation, located in the back of the storefront.
The room also features a double stable door on a sliding track.
Anthony said cider would be freshly made with the pressed seasonally during the autumn.
“We’ll actually have some more convenience items like milk, eggs, and juice, in the cooler,” he added. “They did have one cooler in here. We’ve added a freezer and a second cooler, so we can have some of the staples for people.”
The duo has contacted local farms and Rice Fruit Farm will feature organic and conventional produce as well as local honey and maple syrup, Dominic said.
“When the seasonal produce comes in, then will get a better grasp on [it],” Anthony said. “[We’re] looking to have as much native and organic [produce] as possible. I’d rather eat the seasons.”
Anthony said his family has owned Cindy’s Drive-In on Route 202 in Granby for more than 20 years.
“Me and Dominic actually helped our parents open that business,” he added. “They had no previous restaurant experience. I was a manager of a Papa Gino’s and Domenic has a food service management degree from Johnson & Wales [University].”
Anthony said he wants the newly renovated Rice Fruit Farm to be “a place the town is proud of.”
“I kind of treat myself as like being a steward for the place because the town kind of takes ownership of it and I’m more than okay with that,” he added.
Dominic said he hopes Rice Fruit Farm will serve as a meeting spot for families and friends.
“We’re family oriented; we’re a family business,” he added.
After a soft opening this spring, a grand opening will take place either this summer or fall.
For more information about Rice Fruit Farm visit www.facebook.com/pages/RICE-FRUIT-FARM-Wilbraham/48822783790559.