Carolina On Your Mind

Carolina ConundrumsProducers in both North and South Carolina have faced quite a few struggles in 2016. “Growing regions have been plagued with freezing temps, heavy rains, and extreme...

By Amy Bell
July 13, 2016
2 minute read

Carolina Conundrums
Producers in both North and South Carolina have faced quite a few struggles in 2016. “Growing regions have been plagued with freezing temps, heavy rains, and extreme heat this year,” comments Taylor, which then affected consistency and price.

“A buyer at Aldi said they were out of 16 different items they just couldn’t source,” reports Sikorski. “It’s not a big deal when one or two commodities are devastated by weather, but when you have that many items from different growing areas in one season, it’s a challenge.”

Carolina produce businesses are also contending with increasingly stringent and often conflicting food safety demands. “We’ve got a handful of people who are always swinging by, doing audits and checking in with us—federal and state groups as well as third-party audits and customer audits,” Ford relates. “It seems like everybody has their twist on the way they want things done. If you do something to suit one customer, it may not suit the next. We pride ourselves on food safety, but we spend more and more time and resources on it.”

A Fruitful Future
Despite challenges, the future of the Carolina produce industry is sound. “I’m optimistic,” remarks Collins. “The venture capital coming into our industry has really added a level of sophistication that didn’t exist before. It’s sharpened the Carolinas’ ability to compete nationally.”

Taylor is excited about what the future holds. “With new growth and industry coming to our area, it opens doors and creates opportunities to build partnerships with new customers as well as producers in our state.”

Wilson puts it this way: “The future of our produce industry is strong!”­

Images: Shutterstock.com/AlexeiLogvinovich, Africa Studio, Arina P Habich, Zoeytoja, Vorobyeva, Brian Mueller

Amy Bell is a professional freelance writer with more than fifteen years of experience. She writes for publications and companies across the nation. Visit writepunch.com to learn more.

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