You Can Likely Trace Your Pumpkin Pie Back to This Small Town

This year, more than 1 billion pounds of pumpkins will be harvested for the season of pumpkin spice, pumpkin pie, and plenty more powered by canned pumpkin. More than 100,000 tons of pumpkins will be processed for the ingredient in the small town of Morton, Illinois, the home of LIBBY’S that’s become the Pumpkin Capital of the World. 

In Central Illinois, about a three-hour drive southwest from Chicago, Morton takes great pride in making this the top pumpkin-producing state in the country. The town is flush with pumpkins, and LIBBY’S produces and distributes enough cans to enrich nearly 72 million pumpkin pies annually.

Travelers flock to the town to enjoy pumpkin patches and the annual Morton Pumpkin Festival in September, attracting more than 100,000 visitors annually. Dating back to 1967, the festival is a way to celebrate and kickoff the annual pumpkin harvest and has grown into one of the Midwest’s most beloved small-town festivals.

According to the Morton Chamber of Commerce, the “pumpkin capital” brand drives tourism and business development, promoting the town’s sustainable family farms. John Ackerman’s farm has been family-run since 1909, hosting fall festivities on its 300 acres.

“Pumpkins are a big part of our life,” Ackerman says. “It’s a nice slice of Americana, and there is something really beautiful about being surrounded with farms that are completely full this time of year.”

Ackerman Family Farms has been open to the public since 1999, hosting families and locals at a pumpkin patch with more than 160 varieties of pumpkins, squash, and gourds. “Many are heirloom eating varieties that have been raised all over the world for decades, if not centuries,” Ackerman says.

Since the farm opened to the public, thousands of schoolchildren have come through for educational tours, covering the art and history of pumpkin patches. This year, Ackerman expects more than 30,000 pumpkins will be picked by hand, from the little bitty to the big ones, and more than 10,000 guests will visit his prized pumpkin patch to enjoy a corn maze and carriage rides.

A majority of the pumpkins that the local farmers harvest will travel to the LIBBY’S plant down the road to be prepared for canning, as the company sources from the fields to the factory in a 50-mile radius, which keeps the pumpkins fresh, minimizes the environmental footprint, and supports the local economy.

“Illinois is the No. 1 pumpkin producer in the nation, but beyond that, it’s home to LIBBY’s Pumpkin, a brand that has brought families together for generations,” says Kate Boeding, head of marketing for Nestle USA’s Global Culinary Kitchen Division. “We’re proud of our deep roots in the state where we can partner with our farmers to implement more sustainable growing practices, ensuring the legacy of LIBBY’S Pumpkin lives on for years to come.”

Thanks to the tireless work and dedication of the area’s farmers, people from around the world can enjoy a little bite of Illinois, one slice of pumpkin pie at a time.