By Emily Hamann
The Bellingham Business Journal

After 20 years of growing apples, Dorie and John Belisle, owners of BelleWood Acres, are thinking about retirement.

“It’s time, we’re old,” Dorie Belisle said.

A real estate listing for the nearly 62-acre orchard, distillery, retail space, cafe and event space went online on Friday. The asking price is $5.5 million.

But the Belisles are in no rush. Right now, they’re just testing the waters.

“Our goal is to find the right buyer that will love BelleWood as much as we do,” Dorie Belisle said. In the meantime, it’s business as usual at the Lynden farm.

“I’ve got Santa Claus already ordered for next Christmas,” she said.

Their son, Mike Belisle, is handling the sale.

“We’re at the very beginning of this process,” he said. It could take years before they find the right person to buy the orchard.

“We’re looking for someone to take over the reins, and keep BelleWood Acres a special place for the community,” he said.

The Belisles bought the property in 1995. Over the years, they’ve found more than 20 varieties of apples that grow in the Western Washington climate. After more than a decade of selling wholesale, in 2012, they opened BelleWood Acres as a year-round roadside destination. They throw seasonal festivals and holiday celebrations. Fall sees a flurry of activity, including a corn maze, a pumpkin patch and live music. It is located at 6140 Guide Meridian in Lynden.