In 1816, two brothers, John and Joseph Itle (then spelled “Itel”), traveled from Switzerland to America.  The brothers were farmers and potters by trade.  Upon arrival in the new world, they settled in a small town called Loretto, Pennsylvania.  John was deeded a five acre plot of land from Loretto's famous prince priest Father Demetrius Gallitzin. John Itel built a small log cabin homestead and so began the Itle family farm.

John’s son, Francis, continued the farming tradition after he returned from the Civil War.  Francis eventually passed the farm to his son Charles Albert, a progressive farmer, who slowly expanded the farm’s acreage. He started to deliver milk to local families and to the former Penn Cress Ice Cream Company in the local town of Cresson, Pennsylvania around 1915. In 1933, Charles began to process milk himself.  He named his new business Vale Wood Farms, which describes the farm's location in “the valley by the woods.”

C.A. Itle's three sons- Francis, Gerald, and Russell- helped him run the business until 1955.  After that time, Gerald and Russell formed a partnership to continue the family business.  In 1987, a corporation was established to accommodate the third family generation.  Vale Wood Farms is currently owned and operated by the third and fourth generation of Charles Itle’s descendants. 

Today, the original farm has grown from five acres to approximately 500 acres. The original plot is located in the heart of the farm.

The Itle family takes pride in maintaining their strong sense of heritage as they continue to milk their own herd of 200 registered Holstein dairy cows.  This milk, along with milk from other local family farms, is processed and packaged in their own processing plant.  The plant is located in the countryside, close to the cows that produce the high quality milk. This means that the milk that is delivered to your home today was often fresh from the farm yesterday!

Vale Wood Farms is proud to meet standards that certify our farm as “cow friendly.” This proves that our dedication to quality dairy products begins with our commitment to a healthy, happy herd of dairy cows.

Vale Wood Farms offers delivery of a full line of dairy products to homes, schools, restaurants, and stores within about an hour radius of our farm. Our small size allows us to concentrate on providing dependable service of quality dairy products to local customers.

To help teach the local community about our farming tradition, school tours are available by appointment. Our tours follow the entire milk story “from moo to you.”

The Vale Wood Farms label is your guarantee of quality dairy products from a family with generations of experience in the dairy business. Ask your grocer for Vale Wood Farms products, or sign up today for home delivery!