The Swiss Villa Story
Greetings from Swiss Villa! We are excited to share with you about our involvement in our food hub activities. We are based in Pennsylvania, but our reach does extend to a few cities and communities across neighboring state lines.
Swiss Villa’s Journey
In 2004
In 2004, a dairy farmer in Dauphin County, PA, near the town of Gratz, began producing and selling raw milk from his herd of Brown Swiss cows. He named his venture Swiss Villa for several reasons: his Brown Swiss herd, the small farm setting, and his own Swiss roots. He began marketing his farm products to various health food stores in Pennsylvania. Several friends and neighbors took the opportunity to market their products along with his. Therefore, a few cheeses, meats, spelt bakery items, and other products started to accompany the raw milk sales. The business grew.
In 2011
By 2011, some changes needed to be made at Swiss Villa. Due to carrying these outside products and various additional factors, the farm and business were becoming too large for the family to maintain. Daily farm chores alone were almost enough to keep them busy. Added to this, the business involved marketing, collecting of orders, pulling goods together and managing numerous delivery routes – a heavy load indeed. And so, Swiss Villa changed its focus and became solely a food hub, collecting and selling the products of quite a number of Swiss-descendant farmers.
Staying True to Our Roots
You see, in centuries gone by in Europe, most of the forefathers of modern Amish and Mennonites were just simple peasant farmers. They worked the land and involved themselves in animal husbandry. This provided for the needs of their families and blessed their communities. They strongly believed that “the earth is the Lord’s” and that we as mankind, are just stewards of the blessings God has entrusted to us.
The name Swiss Villa today is intended to show a connection to the mentality of our forefathers. We also carry the culture of a village working together for the good of others. It is our desire to provide a market for our plain community. We also want to continue to provide goods with high quality characteristics, both in nutrition and taste.
The Lehman Family
Today we, the Lehman family, are thankful to God for the opportunity to serve our community in this manner. We also owe many thanks to others who have assisted us in picking up this project. And without our faithful customers, consumers, and producers, we certainly could have accomplished nothing!
Providing Helpful Resources and Information
We want to humbly continue to offer excellent service. At Swiss Villa, we do try to provide some health information about the goods we offer. Our goal is to present this information as accurately as possible. And, although we try to share facts and the results of scientific studies, we cannot promise any health benefits or cures from the consumption of these goods.
We hope that our website will be educational and helpful to all who view information here. May we each live for the glory of our Creator and Sustainer, the Giver of each of our abundant blessings.
The Lehman Family
