Our Story

Farming has always been part of Dale Vodraska’s life. He graduated from the Ohio State University with a horticulture degree, then did his master’s work at Michigan State. Dale moved from his Seven Hills home to Ashtabula County in 1974 when he purchased his first orchard, christening it Sunnydale Farms. Three years later he married Peg, an English teacher from Brooklyn, Ohio. She joined him at the farm and began teaching at the local junior high. Together they expanded the farm to finally encompass close to two hundred acres where they raised apples and peaches along with a large assortment of other fruits and vegetables.

1980 saw the arrival of Chris. By the age of three he was helping out in the strawberry fields. In 1984 Matt was born. Sunnydale Farms continued to gain a reputation as the premier source of quality produce in the area.

Dale felt call of the west. By the early ‘90s he wanted a new challenge. In 1996, after spending several years scouring the country for a new orchard, the Vodraska family moved to Washington to grow world famous Washington Red Delicious. Chris took a job in plant pathology at Washington State University’s IAREC (similar to Ohio State’s facilities in Wooster) while he attended Whitman College.

However, things are not the same in the West. By 2000, they all missed the eastern side of the Mississippi. Dale and Peg decided to try their hand at retirement and the family moved to the beautiful Smoky Mountains. This is where Matt graduated from high school, and wanting to remain close to home, decided to go to University of Tennessee.

Chris graduated in 2002 and was offered a spot in biomedical engineering graduate program at Case Western Reserve. Having been away from Ohio for so long, Chris jumped at the chance to move back to the area.

Retirement didn’t suit Dale and Peg. Soon they were restless for another challenge. Peg enrolled in a culinary program with a focus on baking while Dale started to look for another orchard. Wanting to move back to their roots in Ohio, they cast an eye that way. They bought Rittman Orchards in the summer of 2004 and took over operations in the late fall of that year. Chris decided he needed a change of pace and longed for open air. He moved to Rittman Orchards to help manage the farm.

Matt also missed Ohio, and wanting to be closer to his family decided to transfer back. He first did an exchange program at Bowling Green State University. That was not close enough to be as involved in orchard operations as he would have liked, so he enrolled at Kent State University to finish his degree in Fine Arts. He graduated in May and is currently helping the rest of the family at the orchard.