Don Kretschmann of Kretschmann Family Organic Farm and Chris Brenckle of Brenckle’s Organic Farm, both in Zelienople, PA.
The Kretschmann Family Farm – Pittsburgh’s oldest organic farm – has provided area customers with local, organically grown produce, fruits, and meats since 1971. Owners, Don and Becky Kretschmann were some of the first organic growers in western Pennsylvania. They started by selling their produce at farmers’ markets and expanded to selling in stores, schools, hospitals, resale wholesalers, and restaurants. In 1993, they started one of the first CSAs in the Pittsburgh area and one of the first in the state of Pennsylvania.
Chris Brenckle has been instrumental in helping his grandfather, Tom Brenckle, make the transition to organic practices on his farm and to start selling through direct markets. Tom has been farming all of his life, and is a fourth generation farmer. Over the years, Brenckle’s Organic Farm has built a reputation for quality and variety of produce and plants for their Pittsburgh area customers.
