It all started with a pony…

John Sr was born into the farming lifestyle in Lake City, PA with his father’s tomato processing farm for the ketchup industry. So, it was no surprise, that his sons John Jr and Joe were raised with that hardworking farm ethic, they were after all fourth generation farmers!

When the boys wanted a pony, John Sr and his wife Sue said they have to pay for half of the pony themselves. This wasn’t a problem for John Jr and Joe; they set up a cart in front of their house and sold the families delicious strawberries to people driving by in Lake City.

Within three days, they had raised enough to buy their pony, Patches. Ever since that first strawberry cart in front of their house, the Mason Farms story began to grow.

With the success of the strawberries, the family set up a small stand in Lake City to sell their produce to the public. But, they soon realized, they were having a hard time getting residents of Erie to drive all the way out to the farm to buy the produce. So, the boys began going into town to sell their produce at farmers markets.

Eventually, the family realized they needed a more permanent solution and set down roots on Peninsula Drive in Erie, PA where they expanded into a garden center, nursery, and gift shop.

Now, the family operates 350 acres of farmland in Lake City, PA growing over 100 varieties of crops.

The family also grows most of the annuals for their garden center at greenhouses in Lake City. The public is welcome out to the farm to enjoy pick your own, or buy already picked at their farm stand. Mason Farms has retail locations on Peninsula Drive and Old French Road in Erie.

During the summer, the Mason family operates satellite locations at Country Fair gas stations on upper Peach Street and in Edinboro.