Grimmway Farms Celebrates Success in the Southeast

ORLANDO, FL AND BAKERSFIELD, CA, October 18, 2018—This week Grimmway Farms will return to the Southeast to exhibit at the Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) Fresh Summit Convention and Expo for the 21st consecutive year. For the global produce leader and world’s largest producer of carrots, the timing couldn’t be better as they’re sowing the seeds for another carrot crop in their Florida-Georgia growing region.

Grimmway unveiled their Southeast Regional Packing Facility and Warehouse in Cook County, Georgia in February with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black, local officials, and other community and business leaders on-hand. Near the Sparks facility, Grimmway recently started planting this season’s carrot crop on farmland in Florida and Georgia. The sandy soils in northern Florida and southern Georgia produce high quality carrots with the shape, length, color and taste Grimmway strives to provide the market.

Grimmway’s decision to invest in the Southeast operation has benefitted their customers as well as the rural and agricultural economies surrounding the facility and nearby farmland. The location was chosen strategically to create logistical efficiencies, reduce freight costs and supply locally-grown carrots faster to customers along the East Coast.

“Opening a regional production facility has brought us closer to our customers, reducing time to market and allowing us to be more responsive to their needs,” said Eric Proffitt, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Grimmway Farms. “We have enjoyed working with and learning from growers and partners in the Southeast, helping us become better at what we do.”

“We are always looking for fertile regions to further develop our programs,” said Jeff Huckaby, President of Grimmway Farms. “Our Southeast operation aligns with our goals to ensure consistent supply and quality products to our regional customers during seasons of greatest demand.”

Adding to the success the company will celebrate at PMA, Huckaby was recently appointed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee as announced by Secretary Perdue last Friday.

Grimmway invites customers and conference attendees to visit their booth at PMA (Booth #1659) to learn more about the growing regions that enable their year-round carrot and organic vegetable programs. With carrot production spanning across seven states, the company will start shipping from the Southeast facility in late January and expect operations to stay active through May.