About Orchard Hill Farms
Orchard Hill Farms is a working apple orchard east of Kendallville run by the Meyer family. Dick and Hertha Meyer turned a corn and bean field into an orchard in 1969, planting the first 600 trees by hand with their children, and some of those trees still bear fruit. The family mostly sold wholesale to area grocers until 1995, when the last of the other Kendallville-area orchards closed and they opened their own market. A packing building with a computerized sorting line followed in 2008, along with the current retail store.
Apples are the main crop, with Honeycrisp among the newer varieties; the market had 26 varieties when it opened. The farm also grows cherries, pears and peaches, and a cherry orchard planted in 2013 is pick-your-own in season. The orchard uses integrated pest management and pheromone traps rather than blanket spraying.
The market sells fresh apples alongside farm-made cider with no preservatives, apple butter and apple jelly with nothing added, apple syrup, cider vinegar, a mulling spice blend, and honey from the farm's own hives. From September to mid-October the family gives weekday wagon-ride tours through the orchard and the packing room, mostly for school classes but also for church and senior groups.
Bloomfield Schoolhouse Lavender Farm & Apothecary is in LaGrange, roughly 16 miles to the northwest. Pair an apple-market stop with a visit to its downtown LaGrange shop for lavender goods.
What to do
- Buy fresh-picked apples, including Honeycrisp, at the farm market
- Pick cherries in the farm's U-pick cherry orchard in early summer
- Take home cider, apple butter or apple syrup made on the farm
- Book a weekday fall orchard tour for a school or adult group, September to mid-October
- Buy honey from the farm's own hives
Season, hours and prices
- Season
- Market open year-round; apple harvest and tours September to mid-October; cherries in early summer
- Hours
- Mon–Sat 8 am–5 pm (Feb–Aug) and 8 am–6 pm (Sep–Jan); Sun 1–5 pm; closed Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day (as posted October 2026)
Good to know
- Reservations
- Required for tours
Tips for your visit
- Cider is sold while it lasts, so call ahead if you are driving in for it
- Group tours prefer at least 20 people and need an appointment
- Sunday hours are short, 1 to 5 pm
Pair it with a lavender farm
Bloomfield Schoolhouse Lavender Farm & Apothecary · about 30 minutes away
Shop the apple market, then drive about 30 minutes northwest to LaGrange for Bloomfield Schoolhouse's lavender apothecary.
Getting there
Questions
Is Orchard Hill Farms U-pick?
The cherry orchard is pick-your-own; apples are sold already picked at the farm market.
Is the market open in winter?
Yes. It keeps year-round hours, with longer weekday hours from September through January.
Do they give tours?
Yes, weekday wagon and packing-room tours from September to mid-October, by appointment, for a small fee.
🗺️ Part of the guide Things to Do Near the Lavender Farms of LaGrange & Shipshewana, Indiana
Checked in October 2026 against the business’s own website and local tourism pages. Hours and seasons change, so check with them before you go. How we check listings · Is this your business? Claim it free
