South Carolina entrepreneur gets $200,000 for innovative agriculture business

Finalists presented to a panel of judges on May 15 and were scored based on their business plans, five-minute video presentations and demonstrated 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.

1. 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.

2. Blue Ridge Rabbit Meat Co. is a family-owned rabbit farm in Wellford (Spartanburg County) that raises and processes rabbits 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 barns.

3. Crossroads Processing (Lexington County) was founded in Reidsville in 2022 with a focus on venison processing, but quickly expanded to process different 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.

4. Lowcountry Fungi is an indoor farm on Johns Island (Charleston County) that supplies restaurants and wholesale customers with mushrooms for culinary and medicinal uses. 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.

5. Farm in the Wildwood (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 marketing and expand their product offerings.

6. Oswego Flowers (Sumter County) focuses on growing unusual cut flower varieties, and the 2024 grant will help them purchase a larger greenhouse to extend the growing season for cut flowers year-round and begin the transition to wholesale cut flower production.

7. 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.

8. 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 money for a mechanical washing station, a mechanical chopper and a forklift accessible refrigerated storage facility.

9. Growing Green Family Farms (Greenville County) uses regenerative agriculture practices like compost and intercropping to provide fresh produce to the Upstate. The company is looking to expand 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.

10. Since taking over the pecan farm from their parents, the younger generation of Yong Family Farm has rapidly increased yields through irrigation and improved equipment. They operate a retail store in Ridge Spring (Saluda County) that sells pecans and pecan products and supports 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.

11. 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.

12. Hull and Husk (Beaufort County) uses locally sourced peanut shells, pecan shells, white oak and coffee grounds to make pellets for wood-fired grills and animal feed. With help from an ACRE grant, the company will purchase packaging equipment, an air purification system and a drum dryer for the materials it uses to make pellets.

“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.