[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1204-S1205]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  150TH ANNIVERSARY OF REID'S ORCHARD

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I would like to recognize a beloved 
family business, native to Kentucky, that celebrates its 150th 
anniversary this year. Reid's Orchard started in a similar fashion to 
most entrepreneurial success stories in this country: an immigrant who 
journeyed to America in search of a better life for himself and his 
family. Allan Reid left his little village in Scotland in 1873, setting 
up shop in New York City with his two brothers in the tobacco industry. 
Allan started out bookkeeping, but the young and ambitious Scot quickly 
realized that it wasn't bookkeeping or tobacco that interested him, it 
was

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peaches, which he found wildly outpaced the quality of fruit available 
back in Europe.
  Allan soon left New York City to set up a peach and apple orchard in 
Daviess County, KY--where the business is still run today. His orchard 
quickly became a well-run enterprise and a leader in agricultural 
production and technology. In admirable fashion, Allan gave back to his 
community in more ways than just his delicious fruit. This peach 
pioneer would go on to serve two terms as a Kentucky State 
Representative and play an instrumental role in the construction and 
expansion of roads throughout this region of the Commonwealth. Allan's 
sons, Robert Reid, Jr., and John, would later join the family business 
with this same sense of community until Allan's great-grandson, Billy, 
would enter the business and form Reid's Orchard, as it is known today.
  Since taking the helm, Billy has brought the orchard to new heights, 
expanding his family's business into a successful year-round operation, 
a popular community-gathering point, and a local staple of Owensboro. 
Today, Reid's Orchard caters to Kentuckians across the Commonwealth, 
offering a wide array of delicious produce and seasonal favorites that 
include apples, cider, strawberries, flowers, pies, pumpkins, and my 
personal favorite, peaches. My staff will tell you, amusingly, that 
peach-picking season is a highly anticipated event for me. Every 
August, I look forward to sampling Billy's peaches.
  To the delight of many, the orchard's success has allowed the family 
to expand beyond its farm business. Each year, the orchard puts on an 
annual summer festival, hosting some of country music's biggest names--
an impressive feat for a family-run business in Western Kentucky and a 
further testament to Reid's widespread popularity. For 37 years 
straight, the orchard would also host its popular Apple Festival. In 
fact, this festival is so popular locally that the Owensboro community 
plans to carry on the tradition each fall.
  When it is not hosting popular community events, Reid's Orchard 
regularly welcomes families who have traveled far and wide to pick 
produce in the orchard, learn about farm life, and let their kids roam 
free across its 250 acres.
  Billy's impressive stewardship of the family business and commitment 
to his local community have earned him the admiration of Owensboro 
locals, as well as Kentuckians across the Commonwealth. I am proud to 
call Billy a long-time friend, a friendship that extends beyond his 
delicious peach deliveries and spans over 20 years.
  From Allan Reid's early love for peaches to Billy's thoughtful 
expansion of his great-grandfather's legacy, the story of Reid's 
Orchard has been defined by hard work and ingenuity. It is an American 
story, a story that renews our gratitude for this Nation, its 
opportunity, and its promise.
  On behalf of the Senate, I would like to recognize the Reid family 
for their countless contributions to the Bluegrass, and congratulate 
Reid's Orchard for 150 years in operation of the American Dream.

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