In 1914, the early years of commercial fruit growing in the Niagara Region of Ontario, a young man named Moses Rittenhouse started manufacturing orchard sprayers. Establishing the company M.K. Rittenhouse & Sons Limited, Moses set up shop in his barn in Jordan Station, providing agricultural equipment and service to the tender fruit and vegetable farming communities in Ontario.
After serving in World War II, sons Glen and Frank joined Moses in the family business and continued to design, patent and manufacture agricultural equipment through another forty years – expanding to the greenhouse, nursery and landscape/lawn care industries. In 1985, the company was joined by Glen’s youngest son, Mark, to carry on the family tradition. Soon after, Rittenhouse moved to a larger location in nearby St. Catharines, Ontario.
Using the knowledge of three generations, Rittenhouse broadened its customer base to include golf courses, forestry and parks.
In 1991 Rittenhouse entered a new era by launching our mail order buyer’s guide. This catalogue soon became the industry’s favorite resource for innovative and quality products. As private homeowners began purchasing products from the Buyer’s Guide, we noticed an increasing demand from avid gardeners for professional quality tools. To meet this demand we launched our garden tool division in 1999.
