NOMIWOMAN SPOTLIGHT 60 Years, Five Generations, One Mother-Daughter Team BY LEISA ECKERLE HANKINS | OWNER & ALISON HANKINS | BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER What’s the story behind your business or news? Benjamin Twiggs is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2026, but our story goes well beyond the last 60 years. Our family has been farming cherries in Leelanau County for five generations, and Benjamin Twiggs has been part of our family story from the very beginning. Before Leisa ever owned the business, her father was one of the original investors in Benjamin Twiggs. From the start, Benjamin Twiggs has truly been a family affair. Leisa’s 84 years old mother helps package products, while Leisa’s 84 year old father works alongside her 27 year old son on the family farm. Those connections make the business feel less like a separate venture and more like an extension of our family, our farm, and our agricultural heritage. Leisa purchased Benjamin Twiggs in 2020, bringing together two stories that had been connected for decades—her family’s cherry farm and one of Northern Michigan’s original cherry specialty stores. Today, her daughter Alison works alongside her, making this not only a story about where we’ve been, but where we’re going. This year has been especially meaningful as we’ve moved Benjamin Twiggs into a new downtown Traverse City location and begun reimagining the store as more than a place to buy cherry products. We want it to be a place where visitors can learn about Michigan cherries, meet the people behind their food, and understand why supporting local agriculture matters. What do you want the women of Northern Michigan to know? You don’t always have to know exactly what the next chapter is going to look like before you begin it. Our story has involved farming, family, motherhood, changing careers, taking risks, running a business together, navigating an agricultural industry facing tremendous challenges, and figuring things out along the way. We also want women to understand the power they have as consumers. When you choose locally grown and locally made products, you aren’t simply buying something—you are helping support farms, families, jobs, and communities. For us, every bag of cherries and every gift box represents a Michigan farmer and a story worth preserving. And perhaps most importantly, the next generation doesn’t have to do things exactly the way the generation before them did. Alison and Leisa bring different strengths, ideas, and perspectives to Benjamin Twiggs. That’s part of what makes working together exciting. Where can people find you or learn more? Visit Benjamin Twiggs at our new downtown Traverse City location at 305 W. Front Street, Suite D, or find us online through Benjamin Twiggs. Follow along on social media to see what’s happening at the store, meet our farmers, learn more about Michigan cherries, discover new products and events, and follow our mother-daughter journey as we begin the next 60 years of Benjamin Twiggs. Want to be featured in a NoMiWoman Spotlight? Email kerry@northernmichiganwoman.com |
