Ruggles Farm's Presence Grows in White Lake

A few years back, the roadside “storefront” for the Ruggles Farm along White Lake Road between Teggerdine and Ormond was little more than a table with some vegetables. 

But over the years, Ruggles has expanded its presence there and elsewhere around the township. A pavilion was constructed and lighting and gates were added along White Lake Road. A horse boarding area was added along Mckeachie Road. And, of course, the amount of available products has continued to grow. 

The family sells flowers and produce at the intersection of Highland Road and Elizabeth Lake Road, where Fred Ruggles, a son of the founders of the farm, has been selling items for 25 years. 

Today, Ruggles provides a wide range of not just fresh foods but mulch, dirt, flowers, and even rustic furniture to drive-by motorists and customers by phone and the Internet. It is a full-fledged business that has everything but four walls. Yet these days, you don’t need any walls to create a successful business. 

“My uncle Fred has been selling sweet corn on M-59 for years and we started selling hay in the early 2000s,” said Fred’s nephew and Ruggles Farm Manager Scott Ruggles. “It has grown from there.” 

Scott’s grandparents founded the farm in 1952 and started their careers as dairy farmers. They then began to raise beef cattle and grew crops over the coming decades. But it was this century when the family farm became a family business. 

Scott Ruggles graduated from college in 2003 and when he joined the family business, he worked with other family members to brainstorm ideas for items they could sell that could produce a high margin. While fresh produce and flowers are always in demand, competition for those items can be very stiff, and often result in very low margins. 

Scott’s cousin John ordered mulch in 2006 and the family originally thought about selling mulch by the bag. But they couldn’t compete with the bog-box retailers on price. So they found a provider of gross mulch services where customers can order by the yard. 

“That business has grown for us because we can sell large amounts of mulch cheaply and it is a competitive advantage,” Scott said.

In 2006, Ruggles Farm sold around 200 yards of mulch. The second year, its orders for mulch increased by nearly 1,000 percent. Growth has been consistently 50 percent higher each year since. 

Given that positive experience, Ruggles Farm began selling dirt, gravel and other such items in bulk as well.

“We’re getting better at finding opportunities and increasing those margins,” Scott said. 

Ruggles Farm also started boarding horses in 2006 and now boards 25 over 20 acres off Mckeachie Road.

Four years, ago it began selling rustic furniture, although the growth in that business has tapered off. Demand for produce remains fairly consistent, Scott said. 

As Ruggles Farm has added more bulk products, the family has continued to invest in its infrastructure, including new vehicles and other farm equipment. It farms more than 500 acres of land. This year, the family planted 120 acres of corn to take advantage of high commodity prices. And each year it grows about 10 acres of pumpkins. 

“We could probably sell 30 acres worth of pumpkins in the fall,” Scott said. 

There is room for further growth of Ruggles Farm in the coming years, although the family is satisfied with the size of its horse boarding business. They will expand where it makes financial sense and continue to invest in the family business, such as adding more storage infrastructure. Scott continues to work with his uncle Fred, and cousins John and Joel among other family members in running the business. 

“Every year is a bit different because we want to capture upon trends where we can be more profitable,” Scott said. 

The White Lake Road and Highland/Elizabeth Lake Road locations are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. Ruggles Farm will close for two weeks starting July 4 to ramp up for the produce season.