Oscar Bautista
Contributing Writer
Hartzler’s Family Dairy, Inc. is celebrating their 20th year in business with the Wooster community on April 15. The family runs the company together and sells their products across Ohio.
“It was my father-in-law’s dream to bottle milk,” said Jill Hartzler, the ice cream shop manager and wife to Greg Hartzler. “My father-in-law’s six sons sat around and talked about his dream and opened [Hartzler’s] in 1996.”
“The family consists of my father-in-law and my mother-in-law, but [my father-in-law] passed away five years ago and he had six sons and two daughters help run the business,” Jill Hartzler said. “When we opened, we were just serving eight flavors of ice cream, and that July we started bottling milk. Now we’re serving 24 flavors and two kinds of custard every day. Lunch items have evolved into the menu during the years.”
The main goal of the dairy was to avoid using artificial growth hormones, chemical pesticides and herbicides because of the destruction of food chains in neighboring farms. The Hartzler philosophy is to farm in the most natural way possible, having the environment help the products “as nature intended,” according to Harold Hartzler, the original founder.
Expansion of the company has led to questions about the continuation of their natural means of farming and openings in new locations. The dairy’s products have already hit the shelves of local grocery stores and supermarkets like Whole Foods Market, Giant Eagle and others in Ohio.
“There are changes coming,” said Greg Hartzler, one of the company’s farmers. “We’re expanding into different areas and moving to more non-GMO products.”
“We don’t farm with GMO seeds,” said Jill Hartzler. “But now we’re getting to the nitty-gritty feeds and components.”
Even the next generation has been helping out since day one and is getting ready to take on the responsibilities of the business.
“I was about two years old when it started and I’m 21 now, and I don’t know how I would be like without it,” said Corey Hartzler, son of Jill and Greg. “My brother [Eli] and I will probably take over when it’s time.”
The Wooster community has played a large role in cultivating the success and growth of the family business. Since its unique inception, Hartzler’s Family Dairy grabbed attention at the get-go with press describing their operation.
“This processing plant and retail store will link these farms to the community. The members of this community will know where their milk comes from and how it’s produced,” said Charlie Eselgroth, president of Innovative Farmers of Ohio in the May 1996 publication of the Farm and Dairy.
“The football team would love to come here and get hot mud floats,” said Jill Hartzler. “After a while, we called them The College of Wooster shake. We really thank the community; we wouldn’t be where we are today without them. We’re so thankful they supported us.”
The shop will celebrate its anniversary April 15 and 16 with dollar ice cream cones, live music, and milk chugging and ice cream eating contests.