Bauman’s in Sassamansville has been keeping an over a century-old Pennsylvania agricultural tradition alive with its popular apple butter, writes Miranda Watson for Edible Philly.
The unassuming factory continues to fill jars with deeply flavored butter and gallons of cider to this day, sustaining many local farms and delighting market-goers in the region and beyond.
The factory traces its roots to John Bauman, a carpenter and machinist who founded a carriage shop in the small Montgomery County town in the late 1800s. But when factory-built buggies pushed him out of the market, he adapted by purchasing a cider press in 1892 and began making apple butter around 1900, using his wife’s recipe.
The business flourished and remained in the family, with his son Stanley and wife Ruth taking over in 1928. They ran it until the 1970s, when their son Harvey modernized the plant. He fully took over with his wife, Kathy, in 2005, expanding the company’s reach across Pennsylvania and beyond.
Over the years, the Baumans have added to their offerings, which now include peach butter, ketchup, tomato sauce, salsa, and Asian pear cider.
They also enjoy hosting visitors interested in seeing how the process works, including weekend tours.
Read more about Bauman’s in Sassamansville and the factory’s delicious apple butter offerings in Edible Philly.
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