Our story starts at the height of the Great Depression when a farming family began selling apples out of their barn from atop a scenic hill seven miles west of the manufacturing city of Mansfield. That moment marked the founding of Apple Hill and what has evolved into a sixty-three-acre diversified agricultural operation serving the region of north-central Ohio.
Production ramped up around midcentury with the acquisition of an additional 115 acres of fertile land in the neighboring town of Fredericktown, which came to produce the bulk of the fruit and housed the packing house for the wholesale part of the business. When multi-national agriculture corporations began squeezing out local farmers from markets in the 1980s, new owners Russell and Barbara Joudrey reimagined the business as a retail operation that directly served local residents with fresh produce. Their leadership ushered in a new emphasis on sales to the local community, environmental sustainability, and agritourism, and education.
Today, our orchard proudly offers a rich variety of produce—not just apples, but cherries, pears, peaches, and plums—as well as an assortment of lettuces, tomatoes, carrots, and other vegetables from our year-round high-tunnel greenhouse. Fresh-pressed apple cider is available ten months out of the year, and our bakery and café, added in the mid-1990s, offer apple walnut bread, pies, muffins, fritters (Fridays only!), and our signature apple donuts—all of which can be paired with a variety of espresso drinks. We also stock candles, jewelry, jellies, jams, and other gift items supplied from neighboring Ohio distributors.
During the fall months at our Mansfield location, our orchard is a hotspot of family-friendly activity. We offer weekend hayrides, pick-your-own apples, resident goats, sheep, chickens, and ducks, a climbing tractor, a kids train, an observation beehive, and maze tables. For interested school administrators, we also have crafted age-specific group tours through the autumn that include a wagon ride, a picked apple, a cider-room tour, and a colorful explanation of apple production. So whether you’re looking for just the right pie apple or an afternoon of family fun, we hope you’ll visit us and explore what we have to offer.
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