The Orchard's History
Origin of Dries
Where is Dries Now?
The orchard initially grew only apples trees, but has now expanded to a wide variety of fruit trees, covering over 200 acres.
Ken and Mary-Jo are still very involved with the orchard today, but have passed down ownership to their daughter Heidi, son-in-law Michael, and nephew John. The traditional family values that led to the creation of Dries Orchard continues to serve as the foundation of the company.
Dries Orchards is a family owned orchard established by Ken Dries in 1965.
While growing up, Ken’s father had apple and pear trees in the backyard. During the summers that the children had off of school, Ken would set up a roadside stand in his neighborhood and sell the fruits from the trees. This sparked his interest in one day opening an orchard of his own. After completing graduate school at Pennsylvania State University, Ken returned to the area and bought his first plot of land with his wife Mary-Jo.