About Us
| The Moutoux Orchard was established in 1948 when John Moutoux purchased a 40-acre tract in the rural Tyson's Corner area. Fifty plus years later, his farm still survives in the now bustling DC suburb as the last remaining orchard in Fairfax County. |
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John Moutoux on the orchard in 1971. |
While here, the origins of Moutoux Orchard were started in the form of a backyard orchard. John Moutoux was supposedly inspired by the book Malabar Farm, and soon he was planting a wide variety of fruit trees in their small backyard, as well as keeping a chicken coop. It was peaches above all else that really captivated the interest in growing fruit. In 1948 they purchased the Vienna farm, which would give more room for plantings. The first trees were planted there around 1950 and once those trees came into bearing about four years later, the first Moutoux peaches were sold at local supermarkets. Soon after, they opened up a stand in Seven Corners, which eventually became a staple for many Falls Church residents.
Charles Moutoux, John Moutoux’s son, took over farm operations with the help of his wife Sue. Fruit growing was an intensive part-time job for Charles, who spent most of his 9 to 5 hours working as a mechanical engineer for NASA for over 30 years. On top of this, the two raised three sons, Charlie, Richie, and Rob, on the farm to be healthy and active, and to appreciate a simpler way of living and a love of the farm.
By this time everything was at the Vienna farm. The barn was built in the front of the farm in 1967 and immediately was used as the peach stand. The stand at Seven Corners stayed open until about 1980, going through several location changes, until all of the selling was consolidated into one location at the Vienna farm.
Charles and John Moutoux
in the orchard in the 1950's
In the 1970’s Charles and Sue Moutoux acquired two other farms in western Loudoun County. A large peach orchard was planted and we started picking peaches in Loudoun County to bring in to sell in Vienna. Currently there are about 500 trees at the orchard in Wheatland, 10 miles west of Leesburg just off Route 9, where we are surrounded by agricultural neighbors Potomac Vegetable Farm (our long-time friends and neighbors in Vienna as well), and Wheatland Vegetable Farm.
Rob Moutoux, Charles and Sue’s youngest son, joined the daily operations of the business in 2002 after graduating from the University of Virginia with a Civil/Environmental Engineering degree. Rob rejected the notion of working from behind a desk and instead chose the path that would put him in closer connection with the land and the life that he cared about. He's been a farm kid since birth, picking peaches since the age of five, and wanted to keep the Moutoux tradition thriving. For over fifty years, the Moutoux family and orchard have weaved their way into the fabric of Fairfax County's history, while providing residents with delicious fruit as well as a small slice of American nostalgia. We expect a lot of good things for the future and look only to continue and expand upon our long history. We expect to keep growing and selling the best quality fruit with the combination of the academic approach and the most innovative methods, along with the lost knowledge and traditions of the past. Our mission is to produce the best possible locally grown foods and once again make people feel connected to their food; to link the grower, the place of sale, and the customer; and to play our small role in giving people the opportunity for the healthiest and most nutritious lifestyles. We invite you to come check out the orchard for yourself!