A Family to Trust

In 1919 with $500 and a horse and wagon, brothers David and Ernest Horn set out to build a feed business in York County, Pennsylvania. They did so with the firm belief that if they always took care of their customers like they themselves would like to be treated, they would prosper. And prosper they did, with a combination of outstanding quality and extraordinary customer service.

Along the way, Ernest’s son Ernest, Jr, joined the company; later Ernest Jr.’s sons Tim and “Mike” (Ernest Horn III) began working their way up. Now even the fourth generation is on the job at Pennfield, Mike’s daughter Jen Horn-Gibble, his son Chip (Ernest Horn IV) and Tim’s son Tim Jr.

Look closer at this family history, and it illustrates a good point about the ethics of Pennfield and what drives us as a company. Every family member starts at the bottom, working their way up through honestly earned promotions, because the founding brothers believed that the continuity of their quality- and customer service-first philosophies could only be ensured by a system of truly understanding, from the ground up, these values.

Today, Pennfield continues to flourish, and has grown into a diversified, multi-state business, including not only animal feeds but Ritter Food Service, a food distribution company. Every day, each employee of Pennfield takes time to remember that our customers place a great amount of trust in us, and we take living up to that trust very seriously. It’s in our blood, this mission, that every time you buy our products, you can count on quality. That is a Pennfield Promise.