The biggest company in Orville, Ohio, is Smucker’s. Smucker’s has made Orville its home for 115 years and today the factory, administrative offices, and the flagship store are landmarks and “must see” sights in Orville. The Smucker’s Company gives back to the community and helps make Orville a lovely and bustling town.
In the early 19th century, John Chapman, or “Johnny Appleseed,” wandered the Ohio countryside, sowing apple seeds and securing a place in American history. From the fruit of Johnny Appleseed’s trees Jerome Monroe Smucker first pressed cider at a mill he opened in 1897. Later, he also prepared apple butter, which he sold from the back of a horse-drawn wagon. Each crock bore a hand-signed seal as his personal guarantee of quality.
Today Smucker’s is a company that is known across the United States. Although it has branched out from its original fruit products, they are still a leading producer of jams and jellies. Smucker’s also owns the brands Pillsbury, Crisco, Jif, Folgers, Hungry Jack, and they recently acquired the Big Heart Pet Brands. I was especially pleased when they bought Jif, because what could be a more natural pairing than peanut butter and jelly?
While we were visiting Aunt Anne and Uncle Paul, we stopped by the Smucker’s Flagship store where they highlight the Smucker’s products. Tom got acquainted with the Pillsbury Dough Boy. I was fascinated by the colorful display of jams and jellies. We also enjoyed looking at brands we weren’t familiar with: Kava, Dickinson’s, Crosse and Blackwell. There were some things for sale that you can’t find in the grocery store – a single stick of Crisco and some cashew butter, for example.
They had a small cafe with some delicious looking goodies and a sundae bar but we restrained ourselves. After all, we just had lunch and we haven’t been getting any exercise. They also had a tasting bar where you could sample different kinds of jellies or butters.
It was fun to stop by the Smucker’s Store. We had driven by it several times but never made the time to stop. I got several jars of jams and toppings. After all, with a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good!
