Handcrafted in Northeast Indiana: Fox Products creates instruments used around the world

In an age when automation is becoming the norm, one Northeast Indiana musical instrument manufacturer has found a way to seamlessly blend technology with artistry. Fox Products in South Whitley employs a team of skilled professionals who make double-reed instruments — oboes, English horns, bassoons and contrabassoons.

A town with a population of only about 1,700 might seem like an unlikely location for such a venture, but as Marketing Director Stephanie Patterson explains, the company has deep roots and a longstanding commitment to the local economy.

“The reason that we are located (there) is that the founder of the company, Hugo Fox, played with the Chicago Symphony,” she says. “He retired in 1949 and he had this dream of making instruments in America because no one was at all at that point. “