Whispering Pines Fruit Farm, a family-owned bulk food store in Mount Pleasant Mills, Pennsylvania, has grown from a country store facing bankruptcy into a full-service market serving Central Pennsylvania households since 1989, according to company information. The business began when two farmer brothers, Jay Paul Hoover and Neal Hoover, purchased the struggling store in Snyder County. They initially considered tearing it down and returning the property to farmland, but after speaking with employees, they decided to keep it open as a farmer's market and discount grocery store.
The decision proved consequential. Over the following decades, the business expanded to include a bakery, a deli, a bulk foods department, and a full-line grocery. Today, Whispering Pines brings together bulk foods, orchard fruit, a deli, a bakery, and a full-line grocery, along with canning and curing supplies for home cooks. The company reports more than 850 customer reviews with an average rating of 4.7 stars.
The store's evolution reflects broader consumer interest in bulk purchasing and home food preservation. Its bulk foods department carries spices, flours including gluten-free varieties, sugar, oatmeal, pasta, rice, alternative sweeteners, bulk candy, and fresh ground peanut butter, with many staples available in 50-pound bags. The deli slices meats and cheeses to order and prepares subs, wraps, sandwiches, homemade salads, and deli trays, along with ring bologna and meat snack sticks. Customers can place deli orders online for pickup, and the bakery prepares baked goods from scratch daily.
Whispering Pines also operates an orchard that produces apples, peaches, and cherries, which are harvested and sold in the store as each crop comes into season. Apple cider is also available. Fall marks the store's apple season, when orchard fruit is sold alongside supplies many local households use to prepare applesauce, pies, and preserves at home.
For home food preservation, the store stocks a range of canning and curing supplies, including Mrs. Wages pickle and salsa mixes, pickling and canning salt, pickling lime, and food strainers for making applesauce. For home meat processing, it carries Morton Tender Quick, pink curing salt, and jerky, bologna, and summer sausage kits from Hi Mountain Seasonings and Con Yeager Spice Company. Many of these items are also available through the store's online shop. More information is available at Learn more at wpfruitfarm.net.
The store's survival and expansion offer a counterpoint to the narrative of rural retail decline. By preserving an existing business and diversifying its offerings, the Hoover brothers turned a potential liability into a regional destination. The company's longevity and expansion may signal continued demand for bulk foods, specialty groceries, and self-sufficiency supplies, particularly among households seeking to stretch food budgets and preserve their own produce. Whispering Pines is located at 76 Orchard Hill Road in Mount Pleasant Mills and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The store is closed on Sundays. Images of the store and its products are available online at this image and this image.
