Author: Erik Wesner

Erik Wesner is the creator of amishamerica.com, and author of Success Made Simple: An Inside Look At Why Amish Businesses Thrive. Erik began visiting Amish communities in 2004 – eventually meeting thousands of Amish families while selling books.

He began writing about the Amish on this website in 2006, and is often cited in national media, including USA Today, The New York Times, and others on a wide range of Amish topics. A native of North Carolina, Erik has visited dozens of Amish communities across the country, and loves spending time with Amish friends and discovering new Amish places.

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Are the Amish Rude? Viewers Respond

Are the Amish Rude? Viewers Respond

“I don’t recall ever feeling they were rude. But I definitely thought they didn’t like small talk. I assumed it was because I was English – or if I was speaking to a man, it was that I was a woman.” That’s a comment from one observer on the question “Are the Amish rude?” Some of you might recall this topic from back in March…

Inside A Mint-Green Amish Home…For Under $100K (19 Photos)

Inside A Mint-Green Amish Home…For Under $100K (19 Photos)

This Amish home comes from one of Pennsylvania’s largest and most distinct Amish communities, that of New Wilmington on the western end of the state. We’ve actually seen a pair of homes from this settlement up for sale before, suggesting that “online” is a common-enough way to move your property if you’re Amish in this area. So the color I want to emphasize as we…

John Esh on Amish Life & Cheese (Video)

John Esh on Amish Life & Cheese (Video)

If you caught the “Is Amish Life Hard?” post of a couple weeks ago, that was an excerpt of a longer conversation with John Esh. Today I’m sharing the full video of our talk. John is an Amishman living in the Nittany Valley community of Centre County, Pennsylvania. Goot Essa is John’s company. For about the first half of this 27-minute conversation, we discuss Amish…

Amish Stand Robbed At Gunpoint

Amish Stand Robbed At Gunpoint

When you see a crime report about an Amish roadside stand, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking it was someone stealing money from the honor system cash deposits that a lot of these stands use. Not in this case, though. From WBKO: BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – The Simpson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an armed robbery that occurred Thursday, Nov. 30. According to a press…

Amish Start Community In Middle Of Nowhere

Amish Start Community In Middle Of Nowhere

And I write “Middle of Nowhere” with affection, because I happen to be quite fond of many middle-of-nowhere places. But in reality, this is somewhere – specifically the Sandhills of Nebraska. Amish who appear to be a part of the Michigan Circle (that group has been showing up a good bit here lately) have started up a new settlement in the area of a town…

Inside Country Corner Bulk Foods – Mio, Michigan (12 Photos)

Inside Country Corner Bulk Foods – Mio, Michigan (12 Photos)

We learned about Mio, Michigan recently here as a part of the Michigan Circle Amish churches. Now in this photo set by Jim Halverson, a look inside an Amish bulk food store in the community – Country Corner Bulk Foods. This is one of a number of Mio-area businesses. As you can see by the map here, there are quite a few Amish businesses in…

Indiana Man Receives 8-Year Sentence For Fraud Targeting Amish & Mennonites

Indiana Man Receives 8-Year Sentence For Fraud Targeting Amish & Mennonites

An Indiana man who schemed Amish and Mennonite investors out of millions of dollars has been sentenced after being found guilty of fraud in May 2022. From WNDU: SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – A Goshen man has been sentenced to just over eight years in prison and has been ordered to pay over $2 million in restitution for his role in an investment fraud scheme….

Is Amish Life Hard? One Amishman’s Answer

Is Amish Life Hard? One Amishman’s Answer

“Don’t feel sorry for us, no,” John says with a chuckle. “We’re having a good life.” In this video I interview John Esh. John lives in Nittany Valley in central Pennsylvania and runs the Goot Essa cheese & food company (Full video transcript below). John sat down for a longer conversation with me a week or so ago. I’ll be posting that full video soon….

An Amish Cannabis Company? Owner Riehl, 29, Explains

An Amish Cannabis Company? Owner Riehl, 29, Explains

Back in 2019 we had a look at the Amish and hemp farming, a trend that emerged after Pennsylvania legalized hemp cultivation. Now four years later, a new piece at DailyMail.com looks at “the booming business of Amish cannabis farmers” with a visit to the retail location of Lancaster County Cannabis, owned by a 29-year-old Amishman who goes only by his last name in the story…

Inside A Small & Fancy Amish Home (15 Photos)

Inside A Small & Fancy Amish Home (15 Photos)

Right off the bat, this home has two things that stand out about it – its small size for an Amish home (1,192 square feet), and its fancy design. In fact, it reminds me of the style seen in the million-dollar Amish home we looked at last year. This home has a Garretsville, Ohio address. Garrettsville is in northern Portage County, which would make it…