FREEPORT, Maine — In the cranberry zone of Deena Prestegard’s home, temperature-controlled berries await her inspection.
“It’s all about the berries, looking for the best, most perfect berries possible. I handle five to 10 berries for every one I pick,” says the owner of Artful Cranberry, an e-commerce wreath business launched in her Freeport home in 2013.
Made painstakingly — “one wreath, one berry at a time”— Prestegard is creating demand for the bright red holiday rings, assembled with cranberries from Ricker Hill Orchards in Turner. From coast to coast, customers in the five-floor walk-ups of New York City to the sunny bungalows of Florida are snapping up these jewel-toned wreaths that are made to order in her basement.
“It’s becoming a tradition for addresses all over the world,” said Prestegard, who knows the made-in-Maine brand is central to her success.
“Maine has a wonderful cache for people in more urban areas. They see it as a place we can escape, a sane place for us to go.” And when it comes to natural artistry, “Maine has a wonderful reputation for beauty and a lot of wonderful attributes to contrast with urban living.”
Prestegard, a painter, can explain in detail how cranberries are harvested. She knows a good one when she sees it.
“I might be a little obsessed with cranberries,” said Prestegard. “It’s about firmness.”
Such focus is paying off.
In the last year her business has doubled. This fall the New York Times gave Artful Cranberry a shout out for its new heart-shaped wreath. And Prestegard has opted to help out a good cause with her success. Deciding to funnel a portion of sales of the heart-shaped wreaths to the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women program, which highlights female cardiovascular disease, was personal.
“Both Patrick and I lost our parents to heart disease last year,” said Prestegard, whose husband, Patrick Whalen, helps run the burgeoning home-based business. “I thought it would be nice to create something to help all mothers.”
Though calling to mind Valentine’s Day, the wreath can last from Thanksgiving through February and beyond.
Sold alongside traditional bright red rings in various sizes, Prestegard has figured out a way to turn fresh cranberries into door decor without the fruit decomposing rapidly, b esting even Martha Stewart herself.
“We talk about buying local, and the quality of food,” she said. “Cranberries are a great poster child for sustainable practices.”
