South Carolina entrepreneurs awarded $200,000 for agribusiness inovations

From pickled vegetables with roots in Haiti to wood pellets made from pecan shells and coffee grounds, the diverse agribusiness culture in South Carolina includes innovations in traditional vegetable farming and roadside stands. (Photo/DepositPhotos)

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The South Carolina Department of Agriculture’s Agribusiness Center for Research and Entrepreneurship (ACRE) awarded $200,000 in grants to 12 businesses as part of its Advanced Entrepreneurship program.

Finalists for the grants pitched to a panel of judges on May 15 and were scored based on their business plans, a five-minute video presentation, and their demonstrated history of business success.

In addition to funding, the awardees also will receive access to a network of business advisers, and professional assistance with further state and federal grant applications, according to a news release from ACRE.

The group of awardees encompass animal agriculture, specialty food producers, produce farms, and new and established farmers:

• Dragonfly Creek in Colleton County is a diversified market farm in Walterboro growing seasonal vegetables, herbs, fruits, cut flowers and chicken eggs. As they continue to grow, they plan to develop a weekly Community Supported Agriculture program for Walterboro-area residents. They plan to use ACRE funds to invest in wildlife fencing to protect their crops, and drill another well to expand irrigation.
• Blue Ridge Rabbit Meat Co. is a family-run rabbit farm in Wellford in Spartanburg County. The farm raises and processes rabbits, shipping meat to customers across the country. The company plans to use ACRE funding to add heating and cooling systems throughout their barn.
• Crossroads Processing was founded in Leesville in 2022 with a focus on deer processing, but quickly expanded into processing different kinds of meat, including livestock, to address gaps in the local market. Their goals for the company are to increase direct-to-consumer processing, increase local meat processing infrastructure, and to shrink the gap between farmers and consumers, the release stated.
• Lowcountry Fungi is an indoor farm on Johns Island supplying culinary and medicinal mushrooms to restaurants and wholesale customers. The company recently launched a “mushroom coffee” that blends local coffee with fungi grown on the farm. With the ACRE grant, they plan to expand into another warehouse unit to expand production and add a certified kitchen.
• Farm in the Wildwood in Greenville County uses eco-friendly, no-till, and regenerative agricultural methods to grow baby greens, herbs and various vegetables for customers that include restaurants in the Greenville area, CSA members, and a seasonal farmstand, as well as agritourism offerings. With the ACRE money, they intend to make facility improvements, improve marketing and expand their product offerings.
• Oswego Flowers in Sumter County focuses on growing unusual cut flower varieties. The 2024 grant award will help them buy a larger greenhouse to extend the growing season of cut flowers to year-round production and start shifting into wholesale production of cut flowers.
• The Pickled Pepper People in Greenville County make spicy slaw from fresh vegetables that are locally and sustainably sourced, using a traditional Haitian family recipe. This minority-owned business will use the ACRE grant money for equipment, marketing and social media, and shared kitchen expenses.
• Bradford Farms in Sumter County grows, processes, and markets their own heirloom crops which include collards, watermelons, okra and sweet potatoes. They also act as a micro-distributor providing South Carolina-grown produce to restaurants in the Carolinas and Georgia. Bradford Farms will use the grant money for mechanized wash stations, mechanical choppers and cold storage with forklift access.
• Growing Green Family Farms in Greenville County supplies fresh produce to the Upstate region, using regenerative agricultural practices through compost and interplanting. They aim to expand their Good Agricultural Practices-certified packing shed and walk-in cooler, with which they can increase their own production and support other farmers in need of a food safety-certified space.
• After taking over a pecan farm from their parents, the younger generation of Yon Family Farms quickly increased yield through improvements to irrigation and equipment. They operate a retail store in Ridge Spring (Saluda County) that sells pecans and pecan products while also supporting other local farms by selling local goods from producers across South Carolina. Yon will construct a new permanent freezer space to improve access and inventory management.
• Heartworks Farm in Lexington County is a specialty crop farm producing tomatoes, microgreens and cut flowers. They intend to build on a multi-functional packing and processing building with a dedicated processing area, cold storage and a flexible space for educational workshops and farm events.
• Hull and Husk in Beaufort County uses locally sourced peanut shells, pecan shells, white oak, and coffee grounds to produce pellets for wood burning grills and animal feed. With the help of the ACRE grant, they intend to buy packaging equipment, an air purification system, and a drum dryer for materials used in pellet production.

“Every year, I’m so impressed by the creativity, drive and diversity of the entrepreneurs who compete as part of the ACRE Advanced Entrepreneurship program,” ACRE Executive Director Kyle Player said in the release.

ACRE was founded in 2018 to help identify and nurture new ideas and businesses in the Palmetto State’s agribusiness sector, the release stated. ACRE also partners with Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service to offer a fall curriculum program to train and mentor beginning agricultural entrepreneurs and prepare them to seek advanced award funding.

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