Tom shares some photos today from an Amish bulk foods store in the Jasper, New York Amish community.
Horses go here.
Tom observes: “It is interesting when I go to Kauffman’s there are more English folks than Amish shopping. Jasper is a rural area in Steuben County and most English and Amish folks live on little and have to make the most with what they have.”
Amish bulk foods stores repackage large lots of food and cooking ingredients into smaller portions.
Mason (or Ball) jars are a must-have when canning time comes around.
Tom shares: “Kauffman has rolled oats in 50 lb bags and breaks this all items down into smaller sizes. When I drive my Amish friends to Kauffman’s they will buy 400 lb of flour and 200 lb of white and brown sugar at a time.”
We’ve been discussing Amish heating lately. Here’s a little coal power.
Tom adds: “I have also liked the hand stamped Amish greeting cards. Many Amish girls and women will make very colorful cards. Some of the colors look over the top to me, but if you live a rather sober world color wish I guess this is a chance to enjoy color. I will try to get some pictures of cards together in the future, you and your readers may enjoy them.”
Keeping things cool.
Amish lighting in homes and stores can vary.
Checkout time! Non-electric registers and adding machines are common in more conservative Amish shops.
Do you know a good Amish bulk food store? Let us know in the comments!
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like these:
Would you buy food from an Amish bent-n-dent?
Enjoy this post? Subscribe by email to get updates from Amish America:
48 responses to Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
Amish bulk food stores
I love to shop in Amish stores like this one. One of the items I buy almost every time I go is their base powders for soups and stews. The chicken base and beef base make broths so rich and delicious.
The shop in Shipshewana, The Dutch County Market has the most delicious jams and jellies and they’re much less expensive than those at our local grocery and about 10X better!
Love the homemade noodles, buying bulk dried fruit..so many things you can’t find anywhere else.
My husband and I love to visit Amish communities on day trips and the bulk food stores are always on the list to stop and shop.
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
Amish grocery stores
Helmuth’s Foods is my favorite They are only open on the second Thursday of each month (in the winter months) Their store is located west of 800W on 750 North in Kosciusko County. This is between Nappanee and Etna Green, IN. (This is on a farm.) There is no heat in the building and you usually have to stand outside in line for 10-15 minutes. They have a lot of bulk frozen meats along with cereals, canned food, diapers, etc.
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
This store looks much like the “bent and dent” I frequent when I’m home in Atlantic, PA. They have a fun variety of items- one of my favorites is gum– 3 packs for a dollar. For someone who chews gum nearly all day, it’s quite a bargain.
I find it funny that I drive the same year and color Chevy Lumina that’s parked out front (in the first picture). lol If it was in Pennsylvania, it could have been me!
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
I enjoyed the pictures and think they give a good overview of
a typical Amish bulk food store. I’ve been shopping at Amish
bulk food stores for over 20 years and it’s amazing to me how
some have grown. Beachy’s at Arthur, Ill., and E & S at Shipshewana seem to have tripled in space. When I was at Stringtown Grocery at Kalona, Iowa, last spring, the store was
packed with people and the checkout clerks were very busy. One of
my favorite memories is from the early 1990′s when I went to the
Rosebud (Ind.) Store (which is now a salvage grocery) and they
had a sign up that said, “The trend is to bulk!”
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
We also make monthly 2hour drives down to Shipshewana Indiana to E&S sales. My freezer is stocked with old fashion oatmeal and spices, along with many other things. We love the chow chow! E&S is even carrying more and more organic products at much more affordable prices than regular stores.
I like shopping at the bulk stores. Very reasonable prices.
I go to one in Chucky, TN (near Greeneville, TN) not too far from where I live. Lots of the meats and cheeses come from Ohio. It is a “tourist stop” for folks. I believe a Mennonite family owns it. Lots of different things there. Great pictures as always.
Kathy there is one in Bulls Gap call the Yoders nice store to i was there yesterday i get my flour from them nice people also i go to both of the stores.
Sherry,
I have been to the one in Bull’s Gap a time or two. Also been to one up around Bristol or Abingdon area. Where is the fourth one located? They all are neat stores. Are you in the Tri Cities? I am in Kingsport.
Amish Bulk Foods Store
I wish there was a store like that near me!
I hear you
So do I … wish there was one near me. Well, actually I wish there was one near you as well!
we have 4 of the Bulk stores all about an hour away from me here in Tennessee i go to all of them.
Yoder’s Country Cupboard, Mountain View, Arkansas
Yoder’s is owned by Mennonites and is located on the town square. My wife and I enjoy shopping there when we visit Mountain View.
http://www.yoderscupboard.com/
Our friends near Lewistown, Montana, opened a bulk food store in April 2011. They also have a deli, and sell bent-and-dent, Troyer Cheese, and ice cream. Big Sky Grocery is at 64682 U.S. Highway 87, Moore, MT 59464.
This store looks a lot like the General Store where we shop in scottsville, KY. It is run by old order Mennonites. LOVE shopping there!!!!
Yoder’s Discount Grocery near Hazleton, Iowa in Buchanon County is a favorite. 1456 130th St.
Buchanan County, Iowa
Could you give tell us where this bulk store if located?
We love these stores and have visited many that are mentioned in this article.
Sometimes, as you know, these stores are down some dirt road and not that easy to find.
Also, we are going on our annual trip to Kalona, Iowa in April, we would like to drive through Buchanan County on the way, we hear that it has one of the largest Old Order Amish comnnities.
Any advise?
Thanks
Mary Ginn Minnesota
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
Amish bulk food store addresses
Mary Buchanan County Iowa is one of the most conservative Amish communities. Here is some more information about it:
http://amishamerica.com/iowa-amish/#buchanan county
I didn’t quite understand but I think you’re asking about the location of the Iowa store? This post is about a NY community store, I do not have the address but maybe Tom does.
Kauffman’s Bulk Food
3215 Five Corners Road
Jasper, NY 14855
I send a note by mail to Sadie and tell her when I will down and she special orders item for me.
Mary
Some basic directions to Yoder’s would be to come south on Hwy 150 out of Oelwein,Iowa. Turn west onto Hwy 281 (100th St.) as you approach Hazleton. Go to County Rd. W13 (Amish Blvd.) and turn south. Travel to 130th St. and turn west. It is not too far on the south side of the road. There are many nice shops in the area; you should be able to acquire a map of the area in one of these. Hopefully, if you come thru another way this will give you some idea of the location. Good luck!
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
Thanks so much Denise!!!
Sometimes we have trouble finding these places.
This will help a lot.
We live in minnesota and travel down through Harmony to get to Kalona, This area would be kind of on our way.
We are campers and it looks like there is a campground called Fontana Park. We could stay one night and see the sights in this area and then be on our way to kalona.
Have you seen the stores in Clark County, Wisconsin?
Not as good as Shipshewana and Beachy’s in Arthur, Ill but good all the same.
Take Care
Mary
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
Just in the last year the Mennonite women opened a store in town (Taylorsville, NC) just like the one you have pictured. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I was used to going up north every year or so in the past to go to E&S in Shipshewanna. This is just fantastic – the spices are so much better and cheaper than in the stores. If you are a big baker or Christmas baker like me, there are no fresher or better chocolates to melt, or nuts and dried fruits. Ours even has fresh baked goods on Fridays.
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
I love it! Some questions:
1) Do these stores sell rice?
2) Are the bulk products sold (flour, corn, etc) mostly produced by Amish or are they bought from other wholesalers? What about the vegetables?
3) Can one buy in small quantities – for example, “I need two cups of sugar and a pound of flour?”
Ed, some answers:
1) Probably a number do.
2) Generally not produced by Amish, but bought from wholesalers and repackaged.
3) I don’t know, probably not too common. Keeping things simple, food items are usually pre-packaged.
Buying Smaller Quanities
Ed,
I know there are places where the bulk items are in big barrels so you can scoop out the quanity you desire. For example, Town & Country in Kidron OH Amish area, isn’t a bulk fook store, but has
a bulk food section, with items in the barrel you can package yourself.
These stores are gaining poplularity in Oh Amish areas and so getting crowded with lines, etc-people travel to get to these stores, as many here have posted, and stock up, so Amish Bulk food stores, like many Amish business we see here, are thriving.
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
Bulk store products
Is it possible to buy the “base powders for soups and stews (chicken and beef)” by mail?
I live in Tucson, Arizona, and there’s nothing like this here that I’ve ever found.
Chicken base by mail
One place that mails bulk foods and vitamins is Bulk-N-Natural Foods, 3737 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota, FL 34232, phone 941-957-0595. It is Mennonite owned. They don’t have a catalog.
Another option for chicken base is Better Than Bouillon in a glass jar from the grocery store. Some chicken base has MSG, which some people are sensitive to.
The Mercantile, a store owned by German Baptists, will mail out bulk foods. They don’t have a catalog either, and are located at 707 W. U.S. 10, Scottville, MI 49454, phone 231-757-9130. Their Facebook site is:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Mercantile/177409619017246
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
If you want to order online, Sharon’s Country Store has bulk foods and is owned by Mennonites.
http://www.sharonscountrystore.com/
Sharon’s Country Store
510752 Hwy 95
Bonners Ferry, Idaho 83805
(208) 267-7579
Bulk food in Carroll Co.Ohio
We have a bulk food store and 2 scratch and dent stores in the Carroll Co. amish community. The bulk food store is known as Edna’s and is on Rush Rd. The sign (when it is up) says “Bulk Food”. She also has some notions and some plain fabric. Stillfork was the first scratch and dnet in our area and is Arbor Road. The newest scratch and dent is Sunshine Valley just west of Mechanicstown on Rt. 39. Sunshine also has locally grown meat, honey, plus fresh bread and milk. I shop at all three. All three are owned and run by Old Order Amish.
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
Inside an Amish Bulk Food Store
Yes, we have one just 30 minutes away from us. It is called
Bakkong Supplies…………Everyday Low Prices
Country Corners
Bulk Foods~Bent & Dent Groceries, etc.
Canned Foods……
1284 W. Kittle Road
Mio, Mi 48647
Phone (989) 826-6063
Hrs. 8:30-5:00 Mon.-Sat.
They also sell homemade Jams and Jellies and etc. locally Made
Inside An Amish Bulk Food Store
Sorry,, I misspelled **Baking** on Baking Supplies!!
There are so many bulk food stores near me that I haven’t been to all of them, but I love East Union Bulk Foods in Wayne Co. Ohio. On the rare occasion that I make it to Mt. Hope, I like to go in the Mt. Hope Health Food Store too.
It is fascinating how grocery shopping can be so different in different parts of the country. In the big cities of the Northeast there is nothing like a salvage grocery, although there are options from the low-end corner stores and bodegas to high-end organic supermarkets as well as regular supermarkets of various quality throughout.
Looking on the internet I see several people have compiled lists of bent n dent stores, with a lot of them in Ohio especially. I hope to visit one sometime.
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
Big Valley, PA Bulk foods
We have a sizable community of Amish and Mennonite here in “Big Valley” in central, PA, Mifflin County. There are also a number in our neighboring Juniata County. My neighbor is a very successful Amish businessman, who sells garden tools, fence wires, heating and cooking stoves, oil lamps, and much much more. He travels to Lancaster PA every 2 wk to pick up supplies for himself and other local Amish businesses, including bulk foods. Since I taxi his family on occasion, I’ve learned there are many, many more businesses tucked away than meet the eye. We also have 3 well known stores closer to the main roads, once Amish or conservative Mennonite owned, but they have modernized with electric, phones, credit cards like any other in the last 30-40 yrs. If, like Erik, you become known and accepted among them, you will learn of many other opportunities for foods and other items. 2 wks ago, I was running a lady on errands and stopped at a farm that had just butchered hogs. Turns out they do this every week or two in the winter. I was able to get some EXCELLENT fresh sausage, scrapple, puddin’ meat and pork loin for a lot less than the big chain stores on sale! Last fall, I learned there is a Mennonite family that runs a motor route to Amish farms with 4-6lb blocks of various cheeses and bologna from a well known manufacturer. In fall, they also sell turkey hams, several types turkey sausage, ground turkey by case and box lots WAY LESS than the grocery stores. It was all frozen and managed like a co-op, with some extras for “guests.” Love living here!!!!
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
Sorry that I'm late commenting on this topic!
I love these Amish or even Mennonite bulk stores Erik, and sorry that I’m posting a little late on this topic since i work Fri-Sun and I’m not on the computer those days because of my hours. The ones that I’ve been to anyway were not the cheapest in price’s compared to say a market, but the quality seemed to be a little better but I’m not sure of that was maybe because of those stores being Amish or Mennonite owned. And when i think of anything Amish i usually think of something that’s of very good quality. Richard
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
Bulk Foods store in Kansas
One we have enjoyed is Glenn’s Bulk Foods in Pleasantview, Kansas, just immediately southwest of Hutchinson. This is somewhat in the vacinity of Yoder, Kansas, an Amish settlement.
Here are a few of my favorite Amish grocery/bulk food stores in the Lancaster area:
Centerville Bulk Foods
3501 Scenic Road, Gordonville, PA
( Please note they are currently closed for several weeks for remodeling )
Creekside Food Outlet
339 Spring Garden Road, Kinzers, PA
Eby’s General Store
1009 Martindale Road, Martindale, PA
Pleasant Valley Country Store
429 Sproul Road, Kirkwood, PA
Save-Mor Store
14 S Railroad Ave, New Holland, PA
And don’t forget the great BB’s bent & dent stores at these locations:
581 Camargo Road, Quarryville, PA
Rt. 419 N., Schaefferstown, PA
6180 Morgantown Road, Morgantown, PA ( are in the process of moving to a new location on Rt. 23 in Morgantown )
You can also get your bulk supplies at the Dutch-Way Markets in Schaefferstown, Myerstown, and Gap, as well as the Oregon Dairy Market in Lititz and Yoder’s Market in New Holland.
Happy shopping!
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
Lancaster, Pa area
Thank you for your post Debbie Welsh. I ran out to centerville bulk foods today and was shocked to see the store closed. The remodeling was so extensive that I thought that they may have sold out. Any idea when the plan to reopen? Meanwhile I’ll try out Creekside. Thanks for your list. Harry
With the canning and the bulk food store threads providing a great deal of information about Amish life on how they sell and keep food, I have a request, maybe we’ve done it and I forget, but how do the Amish cure or at least lessen the impact of the common cold. I have a doozy and it wrecked my weekend. Advice? Help!
Unckers it works. It’s kind of like vicks. rub some on the bottom of your feet and put on some socks.I find it at most of the bulk food stores.
Marcus Yoder
Kathy
kathy i am from pigeon forge Muddy pond has a good size store besides food they sell furniture, pictures, notions ect it’s going west towards nashville you can google it.
Marcus Yoder: If I get out tomorrow I’ll see if I can find that in my local bulk store. I use Vicks and it helps me sleep a few hours, but when I’m sick I never have the energy to get up and reapply to my chest. But I will look into that.
My cold got less today then got worse. I’m trying to get myself better hydrated.
Our local Amish stores
We have a few in the area that I know of, I am just 45min SW of Columbus Ohio. I frequent one more than others and love being able to talk to the owners. I just had the wife’s mom make up 5 twin jean quilts and they are really nice..the children loved them for Christmas! I know there is a bigger one and I have yet to get there. I like that we have the Amish(maybe some Mennonite) around us. I am not sure how to tell the difference as I talk to a fellow Catholic and she is in Amish country here in Ohio(around Lehmans) and her husband was raised Old Order I guess. She loves her inlaws and is always helping with weddings and such and she says there are different ones(with diff. degrees of rules–some have cable/internet, etc).
I am enjoying learning what I can from them.
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
Yoder’s Homestead Market
3555 Summertown Highway
Summertown, TN 38483
phone 931-796-1646
Amish people own this country store and sell bulk foods and baked goods. It is near Lawrence County.
Hand Made Greeting Cards
Does someone have a source for Greeting Cards that the Amish or mennonites make? I live in Wisconsin, but anywhere is fine.
Thank You.
wisconsin bulk food
there are a bunch of stores in partyville wisconsin. Almost all of them on one road. You could check there for greeting cards.
Christine, I know a man who hand-paints greeting cards, and sells them for $3 each. Do you want Erik to put us in touch?
Late answer for Harry .......
Sorry Harry, just saw your comment and question as I was going over some older post. If you look back at my list I did put in parenthesis under Centerville Bulk Foods that they are currently closed for remodeling! Anyway, I’m not positive but believe they are due to open around the first week of May, and am really hoping it will still be as nice and inexpensive as before. Of course with the newness and expansion it will lose it’s down-home and old timey feel, but I just hope they don’t jack up the prices along with it!
Here is a couple more ( Amish owned ):
Esh’s Discount Grocery
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
Late answer for Harry .......
Sorry Harry, just saw your comment and question as I was going over some older post. If you look back at my list I did put in parenthesis under Centerville Bulk Foods that they are currently closed for remodeling! Anyway, I’m not positive but believe they are due to open around the first week of May, and am really hoping it will still be as nice and inexpensive as before. Of course with the newness and expansion it will lose it’s down-home and old timey feel, but I just hope they don’t jack up the prices along with it!
Here is a couple more ( Amish owned ):
Esh’s Discount Grocery
3736 E. Newport Rd.
Gordonville, PA
Rt.10 Roadside Market
941 Compass Road ( Rt.10 )
Honey Brook, PA
Esh’s Discount Grocery
Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store
Leave a reply to Inside an Amish Bulk Foods Store