Knaus Berry Farm has new owners and a new home. Here’s what you need to know

Since 1956, the Knaus family has operated Miami’s beloved Knaus Berry Farm in Homestead, which started life as a roadside stand where brothers Russell and Ray Knaus sold strawberries and Ray’s wife Barbara offered baked goods. Customers lined up every day but Sunday, armed with cash and patience to buy bread, fresh produce, creamy milkshakes and the legendary cinnamon rolls.

Now, the landmark has new owners — and a new location.

Knaus Berry Farm has been on Southwest 248th Street near Southwest 157th Avenue since 1959. But the new location is a bit farther north, by Krome Avenue and Southwest 168th Street on the property of Sam S. Accursio & Sons Farms, which is run by another family that has been farming in South Florida for almost 70 years. The new ownership group includes Joel White, formerly vice president of marketing for Genuine Hospitality, and local investor Sunil Bhatt, current CEO and co-owner of Genuine Holdings, as well as other local investors.

And while there are some changes ahead, White said the group is determined to keep everything that makes Knaus popular.

“We are looking forward to carrying on the tradition the Knaus family has built,” said White, who is general manager of the new Knaus. “We will be using the same recipes, bakery equipment and techniques. Even the water will have the same pH to ensure the product is delivered to our customers just as they know and love.”

And if that doesn’t ease your mind, maybe this will: Knaus family members have been kept as consultants, and longtime general manager and former co-owner Thomas Blocher plans to stay involved as a kitchen consultant to keep an eye on the new bakery. Blocher and other members of the Knaus family had been running the operation since Russell and Ray retired in 1990. In fact, legend has it that Blocher is behind the compact cinnamon rolls that South Florida drives so far south to buy.

While Barbara was responsible for the recipe for the cinnamon rolls, Blocher made them smaller. “My personal favorite part of the cinnamon roll was in the middle,” he told the Herald in 2023. “So my sales pitch to the people that said this was too small is, ‘You’re getting two for the price of one, and you get two middles.’ ”

All of the current staff will be offered employment, according to the new owners.

Here’s what will change: the new space is bigger, with more parking, and you’ll be able to pay with a credit card instead of rushing off to find the nearest ATM because you forgot to bring cash to score your dilly bread. And for the first time, Knaus will be open on Sundays — which might alleviate the lines on Saturdays.

White, of course, knows the complaints about Knaus lines.

“One rub has been the long lines and the long wait for cinnamon rolls,” he said. “We are adding a new oven and hope this increased capacity might speed up the lines. But time will tell on that.”

The new Knaus will continue to offer produce for sale, including green beans, squash, okra, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon and (of course) strawberries. When the season begins, it will also offer U Pick strawberries.

The change comes two years after the Knaus family suffered a tragedy. In February 2023, Travis Grafe, son of Rachel and Herb Grafe, was charged with attacking his parents at their home. Rachel Grafe, daughter of the late co-founder Ray Knaus, died the following month. The trial of Travis Grafe, who was charged with attempted premeditated murder, aggravated battery on a person 65 or older, and attempted strong-arm robbery, is still pending.

Knaus traditionally opens the Tuesday before Nov. 1 and closes on the third Saturday in April, but as of now there’s no set opening day. The new owners will post updates @KnausBerryFarm on Instagram in the lead-up to the opening.

Knaus Berry Farm

New address: 16790 SW 177th Ave., Miami

Opening: Late fall 2025

This story was originally published August 22, 2025 at 4:30 AM.