A corn and bean farm became an apple orchard when the Meyer family – parents Dick and Hertha with children Rick, Hertha, and Kurt – planted the first 600 trees by hand. Some of them are still producing! Neighbors thought a cemetery was being developed upon seeing the rows of wood stakes on the land! All totaled, approximately 3000 trees were planted this way. Recent plantings have been made using tree planting equipment, making for a much easier and faster way to get them in the ground.
As the orchard began producing fruit, the original buildings were replaced except the original, timber-frame barn. It still stands with steel siding and serves as storage for our packaging and a lunchroom.
With the trees maturing, a concrete block addition was made to the old barn in 1986 to handle a newer packing line. In 1987 a pond was built and had the highest earthen dam in northeast Indiana. A cold storage building was added in 1991 along with a shipping room. Our small retail market began operating in the shipping room until 2008 when another steel building was added to accommodate a state-of-the-art computerized packing line. Part of this building was designated for the current retail farm market.
Orchard Hill FarmsWhen Orchard Hill Farms was established in 1969, there were nine existing orchards in the Kendallville area. These were mostly retail operations, so Orchard Hill developed a wholesale market with area grocers. In 1995, when the last orchard of the original nine closed, Orchard Hill added its own farm market, offering 26 apple varieties.
