All in the Family

Each week, the operation—comprised of four Hartzler family farms—produces 4,000 half-gallons of milk, which is distributed in old-fashioned glass bottles to stores throughout Ohio.

John Hartzler rolls out of bed at 4 each morning to milk 130 dairy cows with the help of his brother, Jeff. By 7 a.m. their mother, Patricia, is preparing to open Hartzler Cafe in Wooster, Ohio (pop. 24,811). They would have it no other way.

The family business got its start back in 1952 when Harold and Patricia Hartzler started farming more than 100 acres of rolling green fields about 15 miles northeast of town. On their farm, called Hartz Haven, they raised dairy cattle, alfalfa, and clover, as well as six sons and two daughters: Gene, Joyce, Jerry, Jeff, John, Joe, Greg, and Janis.

The Hartzler children grew up and went their separate ways, some of them starting their own farms in the area, some of them trying their hands at urban living. Their roots, however, remained deep in the rich Ohio soil.

When they were in their 20s, Jeff and John dreamed of expanding the family dairy. They envisioned an enterprise involving their parents and siblings that would bottle and distribute natural, chemical-free milk.

In 1984, their vision became a reality when their parents handed over management of their farm—still a working dairy—to their sons, and Hartzler Family Dairy was born. Today, all of the Hartzler children, and many of their spouses, work for the family business, which has expanded its acreage and now includes a milk processing plant and the cafe.

Each week, the operation—comprised of four Hartzler family farms—produces 4,000 half-gallons of milk, which is distributed in old-fashioned glass bottles to stores throughout Ohio. In addition, the Hartzler family operates the cafe, which serves soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts, including more than 50 flavors of fresh-made ice cream.

“It is certainly a wonderful quality of life,” says 33-year-old Janis Steiner, the youngest of the Hartzler children who helps manage the cafe and processing plant, and whose husband, Dan, makes the ice cream. “Everyone is involved in some way.”

Patricia Hartzler and her husband, Harold, are proud to see their children in the family business.

“It is good to see the family working together,” Patricia says. “We feel like the Lord has answered our prayers.”

Harold lends a hand whenever he’s needed, and Patricia often can be found at the cafe—making brownies, egg salad, and soups, as well as playing hostess and janitor.

John Hartzler, 41, lives with his wife, Darlene, and their two sons—Andrew, 13, and Corbin, 9—a few miles from the cafe on land that is a part of the original Hartz Haven farm. John spends his days managing 130 head of cattle and more than 500 acres of crops with his brother, Jeff. John sees farming as something that’s in his blood, and he wouldn’t give it up for anything.

“I enjoy working with nature, the cows, the crops,” he says. “It’s a good place to raise a family.”

John doesn’t know if his children will carry on the family tradition, but he’s hopeful.

“They love driving tractors, but they’re not too excited when it comes to feeding calves,” says John, wiping sweat off his forehead in the hot summer sun. “We’ll see.”

In the meantime, there are plenty of crops to be harvested, cows to be fed, and milk to be bottled, and the Hartzlers are committed to working together to see the business continue to prosper.

“It’s good to work together like this,” John says. “We’ve always been a close-knit family.”

Vivian A. Wagner is a freelance writer in New Concord, Ohio.

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