Text and photos by Regina Martinez and Emma Delahanty
Michigan is the second-largest producer of apples in the country, behind Washington and next to New York with almost 15 million apple trees in the state. Twelve of them are planted in Paula Camp’s yard in Benton Harbor, in southwest Michigan.
The 75-year-old transgender woman decided to start Carriage House, a cider production company, with her wife four years ago. “I do this because it’s important for society to see a successful elderly woman, and a transwoman,” said Camp.
Carriage House produces 600 gallons of cider a year from apples in the couple’s yard, and those from other orchards in the area. It uses the state’s unique variety of apples, including Hoople’s Antique Gold, Grime’s Golden, Dabinett and Foxwhelp, to create nontraditional flavors. The company claims it uses more varieties of apples than any Michigan cidery – last year it used 50 different varieties.
After spending most of her life as a male, Camp is open about her transition, facing adversity and the importance of representation. She explained that it took a leap of faith to transition at 68. “It’s never too soon or too late to be who you want to be,” she said. The couple has a son, who lives in Chicago, and two grandchildren, ages 3 and 1.
Camp was a restaurant critic for The Chicago Tribune in the 1980s. In 1983, she and her wife, Mary Connors, moved into their 2.5-acre property in Benton Harbor. After years of making cider as a hobby, they spent $100,000 to renovate their 137-year-old carriage house and create a cidery. Their home now doubles as the main production, packaging and shipping site for Carriage House.
Carriage House doesn’t get support from local organizations that have assisted other businesses in the area. “It wasn’t for lack of trying,” said Camp. She believes that’s because people who are different don’t get the same treatment – and she’s seen both sides of the coin. “I was the beneficiary of white male privilege, I know it’s real,” she said.
Working 50-to-70 hours a week, Camp doesn’t take a salary for herself but pays her one worker and one intern $15 an hour each. “We work as a team; we work as equals,” she said. To produce the cider, the apple juice is crushed fresh. Wild yeast in the skins is added, as well as some sugar to help with the fermenting process. The cider is then aged and fermented in 33 oak barrels to lend flavor and tannins for a fuller taste.
Carriage House sells its ciders at farmers’ markets in St. Joseph, Kalamazoo and online. The company is not yet profitable, with revenue of about $100,000 annually. This summer, Camp plans to open a tasting room on the property. “We hope to have all sorts of people together,” she said.