Dussel’s Farm Market to re-open in early April

Published 9:28 am Thursday, March 21, 2019

CASSOPOLIS — After a long, cold winter, a warm greenhouse full of growing flowers is a welcome sign that spring is just around the corner.

For Mark Dussel, it is so much more. Like the flowers coming to life in the greenhouse, Dussel’s Farm Market on M-60 in Cassopolis is coming to life as well.

Dussel, his family and several faithful employees have been busy rebuilding the farm market after a fire destroyed the market last November, and a car crash demolished the greenhouse a few days later.

Dussel confirmed the market will be open on April 13 for its official grand reopening, but is hopeful they might be serving customers as early as April 1.

“Check our Facebook and the sign out front,” Dussel said. “As soon as we know, you will know.”

Rebuilding after two catastrophic incidents has allowed for Dussel to make some upgrades to the building and greenhouse at the family-owned and operated business. Patrons might not see the behind-the-scenes changes like LED lights and higher efficiency appliances, but they will notice an expanded line of many of their favorite products, he said.

“Upscale, affordable,” is what patrons can expect to find in the newly expanded offerings, Dussel said. Along with all the favorite items like produce, flowers, meat and dairy, customers can expect to find new varieties of olive oils and vinegars, some sourced locally and some imported.

The Dussels are bringing in their own beef products and are working on their own pork offerings. As always, there will be locally sourced beer and wine, and dairy from local dairy farm Country Dairy.

“If it’s in here, it’s something I eat,” Dussel said of the market’s products.

In the spring, summer and fall months, most of the produce brought into Dussel’s market is from one of the family’s own farms. In the winter, they source their produce from a place in Grand Rapids.

The flower baskets grown at Dussel’s are a special mix of seedlings chosen by Dussel himself, and planted early in the cold winter months to begin creating the spring baskets his customers have come to love.

“When they’re gone, they’re gone,” Dussel said of the customer-favorite specialty flowering baskets. Because of the way he special orders, plants and mixes his baskets, the business is not able to produce more of the same after the spring months.

Dussel has owned and operated the business for more than 20 years, though there has been a market in that location for nearly 50 years. Dussel said that his sons — all three of them — were the driving force behind rebuilding. All of them are studying agri-busines and will one day take over the market, he said.