COLUMBIA – The South Carolina Department of Agriculture’s Agribusiness Research and Entrepreneurship Center (ACRE) has awarded $200,000 in grants to 12 local businesses as part of the Advanced Entrepreneurship Program.
Finalists proposed to the jury The applications were submitted on May 15 and were graded based on their business plans, five-minute video presentations and track records of business success.
In addition to the funding, winners will also receive access to a network of business advisors and expert help with applying for further state and federal grant funding.
The diverse group of awardees includes livestock producers, specialty food producers, produce farms, and new and established farmers.
- Dragonfly Creek (Colleton County) is a diversified market farm in Walterboro that grows seasonal vegetables, herbs, fruits, cut flowers and eggs. As they continue to grow, they plan to develop a weekly Community Supported Agriculture program for Walterboro area residents. Using ACRE funds, they plan to invest in wildlife fencing to protect their crops and dig another well to expand irrigation.
- Blue Ridge Rabbit Meat Company is a family-owned rabbit farm in Wellford (Spartanburg County) that raises, processes and ships high-quality meat to customers across the country. The company plans to use ACRE funding to add a heating and cooling system throughout its barn.
- Crossload Processing (Lexington County) was founded in Reidsville in 2022 with a focus on processing venison, but quickly expanded to process various types of meat, including livestock, to fill a gap in the local market. The company’s goal is to increase direct-to-consumer processing, increase local meat processing infrastructure, and narrow the gap between farmers and consumers.
- Lowcountry Fungi supplies culinary and medicinal mushrooms to restaurants and wholesale customers from its indoor farm on Johns Island (Charleston County). The company recently launched “Mushroom Coffee,” a blend of local coffee and farm-grown mushrooms. With the ACRE grant, the company plans to expand into another warehouse unit to ramp up production and add a certified kitchen.
- Wildwood Farm (Greenville County) uses environmentally friendly, no-till, regenerative farming techniques to grow baby greens, herbs and a variety of vegetables for Greenville-area restaurants, CSA members, seasonal farm stands, agritourism customers and more. With ACRE funding, they will improve their facility, improve their marketing and expand their product offerings.
- Oswego Flowers (Sumter County) is focused on growing rare cut flower varieties. The 2024 grant will help them purchase a larger greenhouse to extend the growing season for cut flowers year-round and transition to wholesale production of cut flowers.
- Pickled Pepper People (Greenville County) uses a traditional Haitian family recipe to make spicy coleslaw from fresh, local and sustainably sourced vegetables. This minority-owned business will use the ACRE grant money for equipment, marketing, social media and shared kitchen expenses.
- Bradford Farm (Sumter County) grows, processes and sells its own heirloom crops, including collards, watermelon, okra and sweet potatoes. It also acts as a small distributor of South Carolina grown produce to restaurants in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Bradford Farm will use the grant funds for a mechanical washing station, a mechanical chopper and a forklift accessible refrigerated storage facility.
- Cultivating green family farms (Greenville County) uses regenerative agriculture practices, including compost and intercropping, to supply fresh produce to the Upstate. The company is expanding its Good Agriculture Practices-certified packing shed and walk-in cooler to increase its own production and help other farmers in need of food-safety-certified space.
- The younger generation took over the pecan farm from their parents. Yong Family Farm With improved irrigation and equipment, yields have increased rapidly. They operate a retail store in Ridge Spring (Saluda County) selling pecans and pecan products as well as supporting other local farms by selling local goods from growers throughout South Carolina. The Yongs plan to build new permanent freezer space to improve access and inventory management.
- Heartworks Farm (Lexington County), a specialty crop farm producing tomatoes, microgreens and cut flowers, plans to build a multi-purpose packing and processing facility with a dedicated processing area, refrigerated storage and flexible space for educational workshops and farm events.
- Hal and Husk (Beaufort County) uses locally sourced peanut shells, pecan shells, white oak and coffee grounds to produce pellets for wood-fired grills and animal feed. With help from an ACRE grant, they plan to purchase equipment to baler materials used in pellet production, an air purification system and a drum dryer.
“Each year, we are so impressed with the creativity, drive and diversity of the entrepreneurs who participate in the ACRE Advanced Entrepreneurship Program,” said Kyle Player, ACRE Executive Director.
ACRE was founded in 2018 to identify and nurture new ideas and businesses in the Palmetto State’s agribusiness sector. ACRE has also partnered with Clemson Extension to offer a fall curriculum program to develop and mentor agricultural entrepreneurs and prepare them for advanced grant funding. For more information, visit acre-sc.com.
