One of the local homeschool Facebook groups I’m a member of (I swear I’m in no less than 100 different homeschool groups), set up a field trip to the Smucker’s Gift Shop on Tuesday. Now, we are not morning people, but considering the store is only about 4-5 miles from the house, and the tour started at 10AM, I figured there was a good chance we could make it!
We started the tour by taking a look around the grounds. They have a small orchard, and one of the apple trees is a decendant of a Johnny Appleseed Tree. John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) came right through this area, and one of the local towns actually puts on Johnny Appleseed Days every Summer. I have no doubt that the apple trees on our property and my dad’s property probably came from the trees he planted.
The property was purchased in 1999, and was built with the least amount of environmental impact, repurposing much of the old barn that had been on the property, sourcing local materials, planting native plants, and they even collaborated with Ohio State University to create a large pollinator patch for Monarch Butterflies!
The inside of the store holds hundreds of products from the 30+ brands that Smucker’s currently owns. There is also a sampling station, small cafe, and a hallway museum with lots of great information about how the company has grown since 1897. Their #1 division is currently pets, with coffee coming in at #2!
Even though I’ve grown up here my whole life, I still found myself learning something new about the company (Their first product was Apple Butter!). If you ever decide to take a trip this way and visit some Amish Country, the Smucker’s Store and Cafe is a great little stop, full of tasty treats, and it’s right off the highway.
Until Next Time…
~Holly