Treworgy Family Orchards thrives in family’s hands

LEVANT, Maine — “We are blessed.” That's how Patty Treworgy describes the success of her family’s business at Treworgy Family Orchards .

And while that blessing has come with a tremendous amount of work—and occasional disappointments—it's also raising a third generation on the hilltop acres in Levant, just 10 miles outside Bangor.

Patty and Gary Treworgy dreamed of starting a pick-your-own orchard. He was a deck officer in the Merchant Marine, gone from home sometimes for months at a time. She was a chemistry teacher with two small children at home.

They bought the land, built a house, and planted a 1,400-tree orchard, Patty says.

But five years into the farming life, disaster struck. An insect infestation destroyed all their apple trees. The investment in work and money was gone,