Our Story

The Ashery Cheese Co. 1930’s-1970’s

The Ashery Country Store originated in an Amish neighbor’s basement in the mid-late 1960s and was moved to this location in 1979. From then to the present day we have undergone many changes to better accommodate and serve our valued customers.

Who We Are

We believe it is God who has led us this far and it is Him we thank and acknowledge as the One who has made our business a success. Proverbs 3:6 says, “In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.” This is our desire at the Ashery Country Store.

Where does “Ashery” Come from?

Over the years many customers have asked “Where does the name Ashery come from?” or “Hello, Mr. Ashery”. 🙂

In the late 1800s and early 1900s there were asheries scattered across the country. Small communities built these facilities where they would burn wood and use the lye from the ashes to make homemade soaps by mixing it with animal fats. From the ashes they would also produce black salts and pearl ash. These by-products were then sold for glass making.

One of these asheries was located just across the road from the Ashery Country Store. As a kid I remember playing in the woods around the remaining foundation of the ashery that once stood there.

In the 1930s a man by the name of Alex Pauli started a cheese factory attached to the front of the home at the Ashery Country Store. He named his business the Ashery Cheese Co because of the Ashery across the road where the pond is now.

The cheese factory was torn down in 1977 but the name Ashery just stuck to the little corner in Holmes County where 5 roads come together. Many locals knew this corner because it was where neighbors brought wood to be burned at the ashery and later where neighbors brought milk from their freshly milked cows to be made into cheese at the Ashery Cheese Co. This same corner is where the Ashery Country Store now sits.

Cecil and Freda Yoder

The Late Cecil Yoder and wife Freda

My parents raised our family in the business with a belief that everything we own is God’s. They stood for integrity and honesty and passed these values on to us children. Cecil passed away in 2004 after a short battle with cancer. After the passing of my father, I, (Curt) along with my wife, Rhonda, bought the business from my mother in 2005.

Ashery Cheese Co

Our Vision

“To reach the hearts of people through tasteful experiences”

This vision stems from the experiences over the years that have shaped and molded who we are today. More specifically, it speaks to the goodness of God that we have experienced through these times.

From the good times: of being raised in a Godly home & being taught values such as honesty, integrity, a love for all regardless of who they are; how to appreciate a good day of work and much more, to some incredibly hard times of loss — God has been good and faithful through it all.

In 2004 my Father, Cecil passed away after a 3 month battle with cancer.  He’s the one that taught me what I knew about business before I purchased the Ashery after his death in 2005.

Then, in 2010, my wife Rhonda found out she had breast cancer. After going through treatment, she has been blessed with great health – an incredible blessing we are so grateful for. Through all of this I wrestled with the question – “Is God good?”. Once it hit my heart, I’ve never been the same. Yes, God is good.

At Ashery Country Store we believe our food, our service & the way we do our work speaks a message. It is our desire that this message first and foremost speaks the goodness of God.

Psalm 34:8a “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good.”

We are grateful for your friendships and the opportunity to serve you.

Hope to see you soon!

-Owner, Curt Yoder

The late Cecil Yoder

Cecil with the winners of a new wagon full of food at our 25th Anniversary Sale.

The Curt Yoder family (left to right) Seth, Collin, Curt, Rhonda, Grant, Valerie.