Oliver C. Ritchey founded Ritchey’s Dairy on August 3, 1940 just outside of Martinsburg. They will be celebrating their 85th year this summer.
A farmer for most of his life, Ritchey’s dream was to operate his own dairy farm. He had a farm in the Cove and he wanted to start a little dairy.
There were a lot of little dairies at the time in Blair County. They were doing the same thing, but he started with a 36×40 foot building. He processed milk in bottles and he processed ice cream.
In just three years, the dairy had grown to the point that Oliver brought his son Paul on to take over as general manager of the dairy.
The dairy continued to grow and expand its business. Current General Manager Andrew Ritchey says that he really gives Paul a lot of credit. Between Paul and his wife Mildred, they both worked very hard to get the dairy off the ground.
In 1965 to celebrate their 25th anniversary, glass bottles were used. By 1968, all production was switched to paperboard cartons and glass bottles were no longer used.
Paul took over the ownership of the dairy after the passing of Oliver in 1963. With the help of his wife Mildred, he ran the dairy through some innovative times.
In 1973, Paul turned the leadership of the dairy over to his son Reid who continued to expand and improve all areas of the dairy operations.
Reid wanted to start a milk route in Altoona to establish a presence there. After getting approval from his dad, he started their first Altoona route.
By the end of the 1990s, the business model that started with Oliver, had left Ritchey’s Dairy as the only remaining processing dairy in Blair County.
Reid’s son Andrew came to take over the general manager position. He strived to keep the dairy up to date and moving forward. New machinery was added that allowed them to package milk in light blocking plastic jugs, replacing the paper milk cartons.
In the spring of 2016, a complete remodel of their ice cream production area took place, adding extra freezer space and state of the art production machinery.
Andrew said that they have a bright outlook.
“We are a diverse dairy,” he said.
Andrew said they deliver dairy products to schools, grocery stores, restaurants, and other businesses.
He said they have also developed their ice cream line further and have developed a line of drinks.
“We are trying to grow the number of products that we offer along with growing how far we deliver,” Andrew said. “So far it is nine different counties in Pennsylvania. We continue to grow every year.”
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