Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | October 19, 2026 | wbjournal.com At Wojcik's Farm in Blackstone, that approach has helped. Founded by Joseph Wojcik in 1953 and now owned by his son, Chip, Wo- jcik's Farm has grown from a "small vegetable cart" into an event-heavy, family-friendly destination offering food trucks, live music and seasonal attractions. e farm obtained a liquor license about six years ago, further expanding its offerings. "It does get difficult coming up with new ideas to survive in this day and age," said Vicki Wojcik, the farm's manager and events coordinator. "So having different activities and attractions at the farm keeps people entertained." Despite the farm's growing array of attractions, Tougas says the business still comes down to selling fruit. "Everything we do revolves around moving high-quality produce," said Tougas, who estimated that fruit in general accounts for about two-thirds of the farm's revenue. "Even down to the Santa experience: I wanted it to come with a bag of apples." On a breezy weekday aernoon, the 45-year-old, second-generation Tougas Family Farm is bustling, with young families heading from the expansive playground, past the goats and guinea fowl, into the farm store for preserves or cider or farm-brand- ed swag, then back outside to a picnic table to await their made-to-order lunch from the farm kitchen. ey haven't even gotten to the ap- ple picking, and that's the whole point. Not long aer Andre's now-semi-re- tired parents, Mo and Phyllis, bought the original 53 acres of apple and peach trees in 1981, Tougas Family Farm, which now encompasses more than 100 acres, planted the seeds of a new business model. "Aer losing money the first year, they realized they needed to diversify," he said. "So my dad planted strawber- ries and blueberries back in 1981." By June 1983, the farm had positive cash flow. ey added barnyard animals and a kitchen in 1989. en came doughnuts – "the second-biggest crop on the farm," Tougas said joked – in the early '90s. "e kitchen started as a way to use some of the culled or damaged fruit," starting with strawberry season and ECONOMIC FORECAST 2023 Community Worcester County leads the way in Massachusetts farms While Plymouth ($90.2 million) and Middlesex ($87.9 million) counties narrowly outpace Worcester in total sales, the Central Massachusetts region is home to more farms (1,623 to 1,426) and farmland (90,983 acres to 79,845) than the other two combined. Worcester County is among the top nationwide producers of cultivated Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops (55th of 1,274 counties producing the items); fruits, tree nuts and berries (138th of 2,711); nursery, greenhouse, floriculture and sod (167th of 2,660); vegetables, melons, potatoes and sweet potatoes (187th of 2,831). More than one-third (996 of 2,962) of farm producers* in Worcester County are considered new and beginning farmers. Six percent are non-white. Forty-six percent are women. Thirty-nine percent are age 65 or older. *Source: USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture "Worcester County, agritourism programming at farms far outpaces the rest of the state's counties (65% of ALL Massachusetts agritourism activity takes place in Worcester county!) Agritourism has helped farms to diversify and increase their revenue and income beyond the production value of their land while at the same time providing the public with experiential activities that help the consumer appreciate farming, agriculture, and the local food system." Source: Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Dan Shatil and Kimberly Mcfield pick apples at Tougas Farm in Northborough. continued from page 7

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