In 1790 five brothers set sail to America from Switzerland. Originally they all settled together in Adams County, Pennsylvania, but by the early 1800's, Great-great-great grandfather Ditzler had moved to Indiana. Gale Ditzler was born in Wells County Indiana at home on his parents farm. During the Depression they moved to Warren and had a Restaurant, an Ice Cream store, and Pop factory. As soon as Gale graduated from High School, he enlisted in the army as an airplane mechanic during WW II. When he got out of the army he returned home and married Patricia Fisher of Warren and attended Huntington College. He and his brother Vier went in to business processing and selling milk.

In the late 1950's he went to work selling Prudential Insurance in Elkhart County, Indiana. During his career in the insurance business he was given the opportunity to move to Clinton in west central Indiana. This is how the Ditzler family came from Northern Indiana to beautiful Parke County.

By 1968 Gale and Patricia had started raising strawberries on their farm just across the Wabash River from Clinton in the hills of Parke County. In 1970 a salesman from Stark Bro's Nursery persuaded Gale to plant a few hundred fruit trees when he originally only wanted just a few dozen. That is how Ditzler Orchard started. For the next 15 years, Gale planted trees every year until the farm was a full orchard. In 1980 Gale stopped selling insurance and worked his orchard for the next 21 years until 2001 when he had unexpected health problems and had to retire.

In 2001 his son John moved his family back home to Parke County and took over the operation. John has a degree in horticulture from Purdue University and has worked in and around the fruit industry all his life. He met his wife Sandy while working at Stark Bro's Fruit Tree Nursery in the 1980's. Sandy was in the berry business in northern Indiana during most of the 1990's and she runs the Packing Shed and Salesroom for Ditzler Orchard. John manages the orchard and cider mill.

Since 2001 they have made some small changes to the facility and you will notice them if you haven't been here in a while. John and Sandy will continue the family heritage by bringing you a variety of seasonal fruit at its peak. It is quiet here in the country and we invite you to enjoy the colors of autumn at your leisure. We are open from late May with berries thru Christmas and until the apples are all sold out. Please check our current hours of operation. We hope to see you visit Ditzler Orchard soon.