Country Roads, Apple Cider, and The Story Behind Beiersdorfer Orchard

From Peach Grove to a Family Orchard Near Guilford

Robert Beiersdorfer and his mother, Hilda. Photos by Cheryl Damon-Greiner.

(Guilford, Ind.) - Now that Labor Day has passed, Autumn drives through the Indiana countryside are calling. For anyone looking for a weekend outing or a midweek daytrip, Beiersdorfer Orchard outside Guilford offers the kind of local stop that turns a scenic drive into a seasonal tradition.

The 75-acre orchard is run by Hilda Beiersdorfer and her family, who grow apples, peaches, pears, and plums. Visitors can find fruit in season at the Farm Market, along with homemade apple butter, jams and jellies, baking mixes, canning supplies, and the orchard’s well-known apple cider. The cider is pressed on the farm and has earned a loyal following for its smooth flavor.

Beiersdorfer Orchard has deep roots in the region, reaching back well before the family settled in Guilford. Its story begins in the mid-1800s, when early settlers along the Great Miami River made homes in what is now Colerain Township in Cincinnati. Many of those families developed orchards similar to the ones they had tended in Germany. Because the area became known for its large peach orchards, the neighborhood eventually took the name “Peach Grove.”

In the 1960s, newly married Bill and Hilda Beiersdorfer were living in Peach Grove, but the open farmland around them was beginning to disappear as suburban neighborhoods spread and rows of houses replaced farms. Bill came from several generations of orchard farmers, and Hilda’s family farmed in New Alsace, so when they moved to the open fields near Guilford, Indiana, the move was more than practical - it felt like going home.

The family began by growing and selling vegetables while saving enough to plant fruit trees. Over time, the orchard grew to include thousands of peach, pear, plum, and apple trees. Robert Beiersdorfer, who grew up working in the orchard, was just 18 months old when his parents brought the family to the open fields of Guilford. You can meet him now behind the counter in the Farm Market alongside his mother, Hilda.

Today, the orchard balances old-world fruit-growing knowledge with modern orchard practices. With full sun, well-drained soil, careful pruning, and newer dwarf rootstocks, the family can bring fruit trees into production faster while continuing the hands-on care that has shaped the orchard for generations.

For many visitors, the cider is the main attraction. Beiersdorfer Orchard makes cider from carefully selected apple varieties, using fresh-pressed juice that is left unfiltered or partially filtered.

The orchard’s cider is available nearly year-round, is sold at Jungle Jim’s, and is also used in 42 Mile Hard Apple Cider at Cincinnati’s MadTree Brewery and Taproom. The name marks the 42-mile distance from Beiersdorfer Orchard to MadTree.

Along with fruit and cider, the farm market offers cider slushies, handsewn cloth gift bags filled with baking mixes and recipes, and friendly canning and baking advice from Hilda, whose experience makes the stop as helpful as it is welcoming.

The surrounding countryside also makes the orchard a good starting point for a local sightseeing route, with nearby farm businesses such as Yorkridge Farms, The Greenbriar Shop, Phillips Berry Patch, and Holtkamp Winery.

Beiersdorfer Orchard, 812-487-2695, is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Visitors can use online maps to find the orchard at 21874 Kuebel Rd. Guilford, Indiana 47022, but the typed directions and hand-drawn map on the orchard’s website are a lot more charming than MapQuest!

Whether you come for the apples, the cider, the good conversation or the scenic drive, Beiersdorfer Orchard is the kind of ‘Shop Local’ stop that makes Fall feel official!