The Fischer & Wieser Farmstead originated in 1928 when German immigrant, J.B. Wieser, planted a small peach orchard in Fredericksburg, Texas. Wieser’s son, Mark, continued caring for the orchard during college school breaks from Texas A&M. In 1969 Mark Wieser opened a permanent roadside stand in a restored 1870s log cabin to sell the family’s Hill Country peaches and handcrafted preserves. He named it Das Peach Haus.
A few years later, 15-year-old Case Fischer was working the peach harvest and dreaming of the future. Case continued to work at the peach farm during college breaks from Texas A&M. That’s when an idea hatched in his head. He proposed to Mark to expand their jams and jellies. A partnership was born. Case took graduate level food science courses to learn the production business. Both the investment and commitment paid off.
Today family-run Fischer & Wieser produces over 150 handcrafted specialty products, including jams, jellies, mustards, glazes and sauces. All are developed and made in Fredericksburg. Several have received Specialty Food Association SOFI Awards. A perennial best seller is the Original Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. We also liked the Hot Peach and Honey Sauce which we were served drizzled over a flatbread topped with prosciutto and arugula. The company has expanded with Mom’s Pasta Sauces, small batch tomato sauces laced with Texas flavors like Smoked Arrabbiata with chipotle and jalapeño, Southwest Nopales Marinara and Hill Country Peach Pomodoro.
The original log cabin is still there, but Das Peach Haus moved into larger building that once housed the Lone Star Beer warehouse. Mark Wieser purchased this building in 1976 and had it moved to the farmstead. Here, visitors can taste almost all the Fischer & Wieser food products and their locally made wines, enjoy a bite to eat and attend scheduled cooking classes. The surrounding property includes a lake and lawn chairs to relax. Visitors can stay in one of the on-site Airstream Trailers. Steps away is Dietz Distillery, run by Case’s son, Dietz Fischer. Here you can sip cocktails from Dietz’s small batch spirits produced on-site. The distillery makes beautiful peach and pear Eaux de Vie and a line of cocktail mixers from local fruit and laced with Texas spices.
Das Peach Haus today
When we visited Fischer & Wieser last Spring the family warmly welcomed us. During a cooking presentation and dinner Mark Wieser shared his memories of growing up on the peach farm. In 2028, Fischer & Wieser will celebrate one hundred years as a family business. It will be a family celebration, indeed!
Dietz Fischer with his parents, Deanna and Case Fischer, Mark Wieser
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