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OUR STORY

A WALNUT CREEK FOODS JOURNEY THROUGH THE YEARS
OUR HISTORY IN
MAKING LIFE BETTER

by Mark Coblentz, President, Walnut Creek Cheese and Walnut Creek Foods

Young, enthusiastic, and a bit naïve. I had just moved home in 1977 after a stint as a volunteer in a church program, and my cousin told me about a cheese route started by a local fellow that was now for sale. I struck a deal that put me in business.

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HARD WORK PAYS OFF

There was a little problem, though: The previous route owner neglected to tell me that he had quit the route a month before, and I happened to be the first (and only) fellow who came along offering to purchase it. The business really wasn’t much more than a pickup truck with a refrigerated box, an assortment of 20 local foods, and a list of about 60 potential customers.

Early on a Tuesday morning, I filled my truck with locally produced food products and headed for northeastern Ohio, peddling cheese and Trail Bologna to retail stores. My cheese experience at that time was limited to having tasted four varieties: Swiss, Baby Swiss, Longhorn, and occasionally a Casino Brick.

 

 

Anyway, I was excited when the first store ordered two wheels of Baby Swiss and three rings of Trail Bologna—about $15 worth of product. I calculated that if all the stores on my customer list purchased that amount, I’d be able to survive. The only problem was that the manager at the next store told me he didn’t need any of my products. An even greater disappointment came later that first day when I learned that the largest customer had traveled to Holmes County to buy product directly from the manufacturer because the previous route owner hadn’t shown up for nearly a month.

Even though I didn’t have the benefit of education or experience, I did have a significant advantage. That edge was that my parents had raised me with Christian values. My parents were conservative Amish Mennonite, and they had taught me the benefits of hard work, the wise guideline of going the extra mile, and the necessity of honesty. Education and experience then came day by day, customer by customer.

And even though it would be years before we put our mission statement and core values into specific, printed form, the same values we now claim as central to our business were guiding our fledgling company back then.

 

TREATING NEW CUSTOMERS LIKE FAMILY

I treated my new customers the same way I wanted to be treated—with respect, demonstrated in delivery consistency and fair pricing. The large customer who shut the door on our possible business relationship the first day became one of my best customers after I showed up every week for six months. “You’ve earned my trust,” he told me. “I know you won’t leave me high and dry.” His store has been a great customer for decades.

Another customer, appreciating my enthusiasm, took me under wing and helped me gain a number of new accounts. Because of these new clients’ requests, I realized that just 20 varieties of cheese weren’t meeting my customers’ needs. I began adding additional products. I figured since I was already delivering at a store, I could increase sales to a customer and save them money—practicing good stewardship for both my company and theirs.

 

EXPANDING OUR CAPABILITIES

My first warehouse was a couple of refrigerated truck beds and a shed on my dad’s farm. When more space was needed in 1984, we built our first warehouse in Walnut Creek, Ohio. We attached a retail store to the front, primarily to justify having personnel available to answer the phone for wholesale orders and pick-ups. Although the retail store began as an afterthought, it gave us exposure and product knowledge that was used to better serve our wholesale customers.

With both wholesale and retail in place, we turned our focus to manufacturing. My brother Jason and I formed Coblentz Chocolate Company in 1987, a venture which further piqued our interest in manufacturing more of our own foods. That led to the acquisition of Snyder Foods in 1994 and Holmes Distributing in 1995. Both of these companies manufactured several categories of food and had been friendly competitors in the wholesale trade.

 

CORE VALUES

These acquisitions involved all of our core values—respect, stewardship, and growth. We had gained their trust by trading with them in the same manner that we wanted to be treated. Customers who had been served by three different companies could now be served with one delivery. We were now three times the size we had been before—and our growth was not only in size. We realized we were not able to lead the company without also pursuing additional skills and insights.

These three core values have fueled our continued growth as we’ve seen numerous expansions and new buildings through the years. Today we have two retail stores, located in Walnut Creek and Berlin, which annually serve over 1 million people. Our wholesale operations deliver in 12 states, serving over 2,000 customers. All of this is possible because of the 350 associates we have at Walnut Creek Foods and Cheese. They are a great team to work with.

For more information on our company values, visit the Our Vision, Mission, and Values page.

TIMELINE OF

OUR HISTORY

Join us in this journey of a lifetime 

  • April, 13th 1977

    The Beginning

    First Distribution route established.

  • 1984

    FIRST RETAIL STORE

    Moved from Dad’s farm to new location and opened our first retail store (now New Grounds Cafe).

  • 1994

    JAMS + FUDGES

    Purchased Snyder Foods in Millersburg, OH. Distribution moved to Millersburg, OH. This began our production of jams, jellies and fudge.

  • 1995

    FIRST ACQUISITION

    Purchased Holmes Distributing in Berlin. This began our production of cheese spreads. 

  • 1996

    BERLIN STORE

    Purchased Uncle Burt's (retail side of Holmes Distributing). We renamed it Walnut Creek Cheese. Our Berlin Store was born! 

  • 1997

    ON THE MOVE

    Moved into our new distribution center in Walnut Creek (now our current WC Store). 

  • 1998

    UNCLE MIKE'S

    Purchased Uncle Mike's Meat Snacks in Wooster. This began our production of jerky and beef sticks. 

  • 2002

    ADDITION + MOVE

    Addition added to the WCF warehouse/ Our retail operation, WCC, moved to its current location. 

  • 2007

    NEW BUILDING

    Built new distribution facility at 3850 SR 39, current WCF Distribution Location. 

  • 2008

    WCC GROWTH

    Enlarged WCC retail facility, using space from Distribution's move.

  • 2012

    WCF EXPANSION

    Enlarged WCF's building

  • 2014

    BERLIN'S MOVE

    Moved our WCC Berlin Store to a larger location in Berlin. 

  • 2015

    MANUFACTURING

    Built our Manufacturing building 

  • 2016

    EXPANSION + CAFE

    Expanded freezer space at WCF. Our Mudd Valley Cafe got a makeover! 

  • 2017

    CAPITAL PROJECTS

    Remodel and expansion of WCC Berlin. Introduced multi- temperature trailers to our trucking fleet. 

  • 2019

    WCF EXPANSION + CLOVERDALE ACQUISITION

    Expanded WCF Warehouse building. Acquired Cloverdale Warehouse in Curtiss, WI. 

  • 2019

  • 2020

    EXPANSION + OFFICE ADDITION

    Manufacturing phase 2 expansion and WCF Office addition. 

  • 2021

    MORE ACQUISITIONS

    Acquired Mint Brook Teas, Yoder's Fine Foods, and Streb's Meats.

  • 2023

    REBRAND

    Walnut Creek Foods and Walnut Creek Cheese, now Walnut Creek Cheese & Market have a new logo and label designs - be on the lookout for more new labels in 2024!