For people wishing to experience Amish culture and are passing through or live near Wayne County, Indiana, here is a great place to check out!
Fountain Acre foods north of Richmond, Indiana is a must stop for anyone interested in Amish culture. Â The reason I like this place so much, well there are several:
1). It is so accessible. And interstate 70 is a heavily traveled interstate; you just get off at the US 27 exit in Richmond, travel north about 10 miles and you’ll see Fountain Acre Foods on your right. It takes about 10 minutes to get to there from the highway, so it’s a relatively quick side trip. How quickly depends on how long you stay in the store!
2). This is a true Amish emporium, a bulk food store on steroids. It has long wide isles with selections on so many different things. I was able to find clear gel, which is a thickener commonly used by Amish bakers in pies and jellies. It’s difficult to find clear gel anywhere. But they have it here
3. The bakery is amazing, with a fresh and fully stocked donut case, plenty of pies, cookies, bread, fried pies, and Whoopie pies. Man, there peanut butter oatmeal Whoopie pies are amazing
4. Fountain Acroe Foods is known for its selection of cheeses, they have several cheese sales each year. Their selection is outstanding
5. At the register, you can sign up to receive their newsletter. The newsletter comes about four times a year by snail mail and features some chatty breezy talk by owner Stevie Miller, and highlights of upcoming events at the store, like their cheese sales.
I spoke to Stevie when I was there the other day. I’ve known him for a number of years. He said Fountain Acres has now been open for 16 years. This Amish settlement has been around about that long, founded by Amish from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. So you’ll see the telltale gray-top buggies here, which are different from Amish elsewhere in Indiana
Stevie faces the same challenges as any other entrepreneur faces: he talked to me about inflation, the rising cost of goods, and how difficult it is to find help. So he faces all of these challenges too. Except he does them without having access to the phone and Internet!
Here is a photo dump from Fountain Acre!
Beautiful mums are a hallmark of autumn!
Plump, locally grown late-season tomatoes!
An Amish grandfather and grandson browse the aisles. The store attracts a fair number of Amish customers, which is a good sign of authenticity.
The incredible bakery section!
They have pies of about every kind imaginable and every size possible!
Locally pressed apple cider!
An Amish family browses the aisles of Fountain Acre Foods.
Bulk foods of every kind imaginable!
Small pumpkins add an autumn touch!
And so do gourds!
There are also shelves well stocked with cookbooks.
Fountain Acre Foods does not accept credit cards, so bring plenty of cash or your checkbook. They do accept checks.
Leave a Reply