Small farm, big operation
Nov 10, 2009 10:26 AM, By Hembree Brandon, Farm Press Editorial Staff
“We’ve gone from a very small, local family operation to one that has made a place in a very specialized market and is still growing. I believe there is a lot of opportunity in this business in the years ahead for those who can capitalize on trends and constantly improve efficiency.”
Currently, they have established markets all over the Southeast, with several in northern states.
“We have production operations in south Mississippi, south Alabama, and mid-Florida, and we have plans for expansion into northeast Arkansas — all to increase production, help with diversification, and spread risk. We’re aligning ourselves more directly with retailers, and we’re establishing a marketing company to help sell produce from other growers.”
The “locavore” trend, which is based reducing the carbon footprint by using products from a local or regional area versus those shipped from great distances, has also been beneficial by helping the company get into markets that it couldn’t previously penetrate, Eubanks says.
Changes nationwide in school lunch programs, with more fresh vegetables and salad bars, are also helping to improve the demand from produce.
“We make it a practice to visit all our customers at least once a year, which helps us to keep up with the markets and to spot new opportunities, particularly for ethnic markets. “For example, during a customer visit, we learned about a particular pepper that was in demand by an ethic group in the area. It’s a niche product, but we started growing it and now sell several hundred boxes per year.”
Wal-Mart, now the leader in the supermarket business, is actively soliciting produce growers, Eubanks says, “so that’s a real opportunity for anyone who can meet their requirements. Most of the produce we provide to Wal-Mart is trucked to their big distribution center at New Albany, Miss.”
e-mail: hbrandon@farmpress.com
