Hometown Provisions, formerly Mellinger Foods, is a wholesale distributor based in Lancaster County, PA.  For 25 years, the business has been handling local farm products, focusing on meats, cheeses, and frozen products.  For Greensgrow, they are a source of Amish butter, Lancaster County sharp cheddar cheese, Amish Swiss and Yogurt cheeses from Ohio, and double-smoked ham.  Barry Mellinger started the business when he began selling products out of a truck.  He finds running the business to be satisfying work and hopes that he and his employees are able to treat customers they way they’d like to be treated themselves.

Barry sees a lot of promise for family farms in the Lancaster area.  Farmers are doing pretty well, as they are able to sell their milk and are starting small cheese factories and cooperatives.  For Lancaster County, at least, there has been a lot of work to preserve farms and to assure that the land won’t be developed.  Thanks to this farmland preservation and businesses like Hometown Provisions, Lancaster farmers will be able to continue to do what they do best.