About Us
The Berry Patch opens the 3rd week of June
..... and will be open through Labor Day.
Our History ...........
George and Brenda Nousiainen are the proprietors and ice cream artisans
in The Berry Patch. They began making local wild berry jams over 40
years ago. George is a native of Copper Harbor and learned all the
local berries while growing up there. Brenda, born and raised in
Florida, met George at the University of Tampa. After dating through
college George married Brenda; his “girl down the street;” 1700 miles
down US 41 that is! George and Brenda began making jam one summer to
supplement their income as teachers. They sold the jam through The
Brickside (the Nousiainen’s store) which was located on the east side of
the village and in his parents’ gas station which is the site of
present day Berry Patch.
As the years grew so did the interest in their jams. In 1984, George
and Brenda along with their children, Erik and Kristin, constructed the
log cabin known as The Berry Patch. The building was originally
intended as a jam kitchen. As the years passed the idea of putting
their jams over ice cream became a reality and that was the beginning of
their famous thimbleberry and bilberry sundaes. Today, they feature as
many wild berry sundaes as Mother Nature will allow. Each season is
dependent on the weather as to what fruits are plentiful. Their jams
and berry toppings are all still hand picked in the wild—pesticide free
and organically grown.
The Berry Patch grows year to year as locals and returning customers
enjoy the wild flavor of the berries and the owners. Brenda and
George’s jams have won multiple awards including several best of shows
over the years. The ice cream continues to play a major role in the
shop but as the business grew specially designed tee shirts, unique one
of a kind antiques, and unusual gifts were added.
Today on any given day you will find George or Brenda behind the
counter to serve you with a smile and good conversation. If you have
any questions about the area; don’t hesitate to ask George who grew up
here. He is very knowledgeable and loves giving information on local
history and interesting sites. If pressed further, he always has a
colorful story about local characters that once lived in the immediate
area. George can also be included as one of the local characters since
he is a graduate of the Copper Harbor School, having had his father as
his teacher for eight years. George lived in Copper Harbor for ten
years of his childhood and returns every summer since leaving in 1955.
Don’t hesitate to visit The Berry Patch, a little shop with lots of flavor, on your next visit to Copper Harbor.