Rooted in Community, The Crafted Orchard

Photo submitted by The Crafted Orchard

Akiptan is extremely thankful for the clients we get to serve, and we are excited to feature their success in our December Success Story. Angela Litchy is an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe. She owns the Crafted Orchard & More LLC, which was established in 2022. This orchard sits on 35.16 acres of deeded land that she and her husband, Trevor, own. The Crafted Orchard & More LLC is a seasonal rural agritourism business located in Brainerd, MN. There are approximately 1,425 trees, ¼ acre of strawberries (about 3,000 plants), and they are planting pumpkins this year, about 125 plants. Although her husband Trevor helps with the day-to-day work, The Crafted Orchard & More LLC is 100% owned by Angela Litchy.

Akiptan’s Loan Officer, Jami Gropper, began working with Angie in April of 2025, and they closed on their loan in the summer of 2025 with great success. Akiptan provided The Crafted Orchard and More LLC with patient capital to build a storage barn for cold storage, produce storage, and retail space for business. The orchard needed a multi-purpose storage building for storing pesticides, a mixing and loading area space for loading and unloading pesticides, equipment storage, a retail space for customers to purchase orchard products, a packaging house designated for storing and packaging fruit, as well as storage for bare root trees/dormant plants during the cold months. This expansion allowed The Crafted Orchard to increase product offerings, improve operational efficiency, comply with chemical requirements, and further enhance the customer service experience.

"Working with The Crafted Orchard and More LLC has been great! Angie is so organized, and she has a very good grasp of her agritourism business. It's been a pleasure getting to see The Crafted Orchard and More LLC expand and succeed." -Jami Gropper, Loan Officer 

Photo submitted by The Crafted Orchard

At the heart of The Crafted Orchard are the guests who visit the operation and experience the joy of picking fresh produce, particularly apples and strawberries. Families can wander through rows of trees and strawberry patches, picking the best produce at its peak season. The hands-on experience allows visitors to enjoy the fresh air while harvesting delicious fruit and creating a personal connection with the land. To further connect visitors with the land, the orchard incorporates educational signage that highlights the Native American history of the region and the crops grown. The orchard offers seasonal educational programs and workshops that explore traditional farming methods used by indigenous peoples, fostering a greater appreciation for the history and significance of these crops.

The Crafted Orchard also has hay rides and started planting a pumpkin patch. They offer Farm to Picnic Table events, where they enjoy fresh meals made with produce picked from the orchard. A do-it-yourself class focused on gardening, sustainable farming practices, and the history of Native crops will also be held throughout the summer months to help educate visitors. 

Our Senior Program Officer, Dawn E. Lebeau, was able to visit with Angie about her business from start to finish. 

Tell me about your history in agriculture. 

I haven’t always been working in agriculture. The start of my journey was in 2021. My husband and I were looking at land and the opportunity to set up our own business and work for ourselves, looking for long-term things for our kids to be able to continue, as well as to be able to exercise and give back to the community. 

As far as agriculture, I always had an interest in apple trees and gardening. I’ve had apple orchards for the majority of my life; they have a special place with me, because they remind me of my mom. She was my introduction to orchards. We would have apples in our yard, and she would make apple things, such as apple pies, apple juice, and apple cider. We didn't grow up with a lot, and so she took advantage of everything that she could. There's that connection with my mom that is very special to me. 

Outside of that, I've always been a go-getter with whatever I've done in my past. I knew I had a lot to learn, and that I had to delve in with like-minded people. So at one point, I said I would be a secretary with the Minnesota Apple Growers Association, and it's been very rewarding.  I have also volunteered with the Crow Wing Master Gardener since 2021, and I work with different organizations in my area, such as Central Lakes College, which has connected me with resources, like my mentor, Erik Heimark, with the Farm Business Management program at Central Lakes College. It's been great to have that guiding direction. 

When did you get the loan, and what was it for?

I applied for a loan with Akiptan, and it was approved in 2025. The loan was for our first building at the orchard. The area we had picked out was pretty bare, and it had gopher mounds everywhere. The building was going to serve multiple purposes, and then it would move into multiple buildings for storage, office, and a retail space. The interior isn’t fully finished yet, but we can use it, and it provides much-needed relief for customers. 

What made you come to Akiptan?

I attended the Intertribal Agriculture Conference last year for the first time. I remember walking around the show floor and talking to vendors, and my specific goal was to look at lending, and that's where I learned about Akiptan. I stopped at the booth to ask if I would qualify as an individual producer if I was or wasn’t on tribal land, and that is where I learned about the fantastic opportunity. 

How was the application process?

The building wasn't something that we really planned to do right away, but thanks to Akiptan’s great rates, great terms, and the overall process, we've been able to move forward with our business plan a lot sooner than we thought, and it's so exciting. I want to note that working with our Loan Officer, Jami, was awesome! 

What sort of impact was made on your operation with this financing?

Jami brought up that I was eligible for the equity grant, and that was amazing. It was such a gift, and it added to the overall goal of The Crafted Orchard, because we were starting from zero, and the help from the equity grant moved us into doing things sooner than we expected. 

Where do you see yourself and your operation in 5 years?

It takes three to five years to grow apples, and we planted our first apple trees in 2023. We have just a taste of what's to come. We want to provide the opportunity to educate people on agriculture and be able to share this work with our community. I want to support programs like farm to school, being able to share healthy options, and targeting tribal schools. Obviously, we need more apples to get to that point. The apples are one of the biggest focal areas, and providing that experience, while also making it fun for the consumer, is important. 

Photo submitted by The Crafted Orchard

Once we have things established, the next step for our orchard in the big vision is the core of the orchard, and that includes apples, strawberries, and agritourism. We will have a lot of workshops to host, and we will do things like Do-it-Yourself kits so visitors can learn the skills. We also want to have a commercial kitchen. In this work, we're not looking to get rich; the focus is on keeping ourselves busy and, of course, to be able to pay the bills. 

Is there anything you’d like to say to fellow ranchers / farmers in the agriculture industry?

I would just say if you are looking or thinking of doing something in agriculture, don't be afraid to reach out to resources like Akiptan for support. Just do it, you won't know until you try. 

Akiptan would like to thank our funders and partners, like Angie, for making our work as impactful as it has been since our inception in 2019. We remain committed and eager to support producers across Indian country with patient based capital that works for the producer, the lender, and the funder. To learn more about the wonderful work at The Crafted Orchard, please visit their website at https://thecraftedorchard.com.