'A Sweet Beginning': The Story Behind the Caramel Apples on Day 1

DETROIT— As Henry Ford Health President and CEO Bob Riney thought about the start of the joint venture with Ascension Michigan in the fall of 2024, a couple things came to mind: That this was a wonderful thing for the state of Michigan, and that the moment itself—in which the two organizations were to begin their journey together—would be sweet.

“That led to my next thought,” Riney said, “which was: what’s sweeter—and more Michigan—than a caramel apple?”

It was then the idea was hatched—to give out true-blue Michigan caramel apples to the expanded organization’s team members to celebrate and commemorate the start of the historic partnership. But that would mean ordering, preparing and delivering tens of thousands of caramel apples in short order—and in the midst of the busy fall season.

Enter Blake Farms, home to Blake’s Orchard and Cider Mill, one of the area’s most well-known and well-loved institutions. The Armada-based family farm joyfully accepted the challenge, noting it would be their largest single order in their company’s history.

“When we first heard about the plan to provide caramel apples to all team members, we were genuinely excited,” said Andrew Blake, CEO of Blake Family of Companies. “This partnership felt like a natural fit, with two Michigan-based companies supporting one another.” 

The breadth of the job was truly amazing. Over a period of nine days, the crews at Blake’s dipped, spun and sprinkled more than 41,000 Granny Smith apples from their farm using 122 batches of their special kettle-cooked caramel (each batch coats roughly 350 apples!). At a rate of up to 1,000 apples an hour, at one point they were able to produce 8,300 caramel apples in a single day. After packaging, boxing and labeling the tens of thousands of caramel apples, they were sent out to the Henry Ford Health sites of care; 83 pallets, six days and seven truckloads later, the distribution was complete. The caramel apple team at Blake’s was proud beyond measure to have played such a sweet role in something so important to the community—the celebration of two healthcare institutions uniting for the betterment of Michiganders.

“It felt great to be part of an initiative that would be joy to everyone and strengthen our connection with the Henry Ford Health team,” Andrew Blake said. “It’s rewarding to work together to spread a bit of local cheer, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to work with an organization that has been a long-time supporter of our brand.”

For Riney, delivering caramel apples to new and existing team members felt like the perfect way to start the relationship.

“Having been a Henry Ford Health team member since I was in college, I can definitively say that we have a deep and strong culture of connection here,” Riney said. “It was so important to me that we extended that kindness—that simple, sweet gesture—from day one. The caramel apple started as an idea, but with the help of our friends at Blake’s, it blossomed into a beautiful symbol of partnership and new beginnings.”

MEDIA CONTACT: mediarelations@hfhs.org

 

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