It’s the unofficial kickoff to South Florida’s fall in the Redland – standing in line to pick up warm, gooey cinnamon buns at Knaus Berry Farm when they open in late October. That tradition changes this year, as the family farmstand moves to a new home on Krome Avenue under new local co-owners.
“It felt like it was time,” says Tom Blocher, longtime general manager and part of the Knaus family that’s been operating the farmstand and bakery since 1956. “We can’t do this forever.”
Blocher is staying on as a consultant to make sure the wildly popular cinnamon rolls and other products remain true to the beloved brand in their new location at a former farmstand and u-pick at 16790 Krome Avenue. “We want it to look as much as possible like Knaus Berry Farm,” he says. Key personnel are staying on, and most will return to work at this seasonal business, he says.
But there will be some changes when Knaus reopens: Credit cards will be accepted, and they will be open on Sundays. The new location is expected to debut before Thanksgiving, Blocher says, a bit later than the usual late October opening.
The new co-owners include Joel White, who will serve as general manager, and Sunil Bhatt, of The Genuine Hospitality Group, headed by chef/restaurateur Michael Schwartz, a longtime Knaus customer and supporter.
“We’ve been talking to these guys for the last 10-12 months,” says Blocher, part of the family that includes his wife, Susan, and brother-in-law, Herbie. The decision to move took into account their location across the street from Redland Middle School. “We’ve encroached on the community, taking up road space – it wasn’t safe for some folks.” Every season, the small bakery and u-pick fields meant traffic back-ups on SW 248th Street. The new space, on the west side of Krome, will feature more parking. Thanks to a new oven, there will be increased baking capacity, which might speed up the lines.
Blocher’s Bald Baker Coffee line will continue to be sold, along with strawberries, green beans, green and yellow squash, okra, pickling cucumbers, tomatoes and watermelon. Knaus’ strawberries – red, juicy and sweet, always picked and sold when perfectly ripe, the choice of discerning South Florida chefs and consumers – will be grown on the new property, and they will also offer u-pick strawberries. Once known as Sam and Philly’s, the red barn, owned by Sam S. Accursio and Sons Farms, will use the same recipes, bakery equipment and techniques.
Changes in Miami-Dade’s Redland agricultural district, like sprawling developments springing up in fields once used to grow okra and tomatoes and nonstop traffic, have transformed much of this once-pastoral setting. Blocher recalls the fields of pole beans, staked tomatoes and potato packing houses when he moved to the area with his family in 1969. “It’s totally changed,” he says. “We’re not gonna get it back.”
Their pending move elicits different emotions – relief, joy, sadness. “We’re happy, but melancholy at the same time,” says Blocher. “We’re relieved. And getting a return for our investment over the years feels good.”
The Knaus family is grateful for all the years of loyal support from the community. “We will miss your familiar faces and similar stories of previous generations that frequented our store,” he says. If all goes well, the institution will thrive under new ownership, keeping the best of what Knaus Berry Farms delivered over nearly 70 years – locally grown produce, shakes and baked goods, and a traditional community experience that has spanned generations.
“I think they’ll be successful,” Blocher says.
