Startup Junkies Podcast의 또 다른 에피소드에 다시 오신 것을 환영합니다!
This week, Caleb Talley and Jeff Amerine chat with special guest Sarah Frey, CEO, and founder of Frey Farms. Frey Farms is one of the nation’s largest fresh produce suppliers and grows fresh produce in the Midwest, Southeast, and West Virginia. From a recent appearance on CBS to creating her book “The Growing Season: How I Built a New Life — And Saved an American Farm”, Sarah Frey has made an impact on many people telling her remarkable entrepreneurial story. In this episode, you will get to hear about Sarah’s inspiring journey to save the family farm, an in-depth conversation around everything pumpkin related, and how COVID has affected the agriculture industry. Listen in to this great story!
쇼노트
(1:00) Introducing Frey Farms
(11:17) Frey Farms, the largest pumpkin provider in the country
(16:14) Educating the public on the pumpkin as a part of a meal
(19:20) The sales model of Frey Farms
(27:00) Using imperfect produce
(31:32) How Sarah’s childhood experiences prepared her for future success
(35:32) The future of Frey Farms
(38:40) Sarah’s advice to her younger self
연결
인용 부호
“Food was simple. It was clean, and it was delicious. Nothing ever went to waste on our farm, because we couldn’t afford to waste anything on the farm where I grew up when I was a little girl. And it’s those same principles that apply today to our business on a much larger scale. And I think there is an opportunity to tell that story…to educate the consumer on this is who we are. This is how we grow your food. This is what’s important to us. And I think that translates to more customer loyalty at the grocery retailer.” (20:17)
The Journey From Tough Beginnings to Owning and Running a Billion-Dollar Agriculture Business
This week the Startup Junkies podcast was able to talk with Sarah Frey, the founding farmer of Frey Farms and author of The Growing Season. Frey Farms is a multi-state grower of fresh produce. While headquartered near Orchardville, Illinois, they have farms in seven different states, distributing fruits and vegetables across the nation.
Sarah grew up on a family farm in southern Illinois with her parents and four older brothers. From a very early age, Sarah went with her mother on the delivery route. Her mother let her go in on her own, barter with the stores’ produce managers, and handle the sales herself. Sarah credits this as a formative experience that cultivated her entrepreneurial spirit.
When she was 16, Sarah took over the delivery route for herself. While her four brothers had gone off to college and moved away, she delivered in the family pickup truck and expanded the route from twelve stores to 150. During this explosion of business, Sarah started doing business with large chain retailers. Around this time, she purchased the family farm, ensuring that the land would ultimately bring her family back together.
Now, Frey Farms is the nation’s leading pumpkin producer, and they also specialize in melons and produce many other fruits and vegetables. The farm focuses on growing produce by utilizing sustainable practices to preserve natural resources and protect our world for future generations.
Sarah’s kids even get in on the produce-selling fun. Just before the last easter, her sons set up a watermelon stand on the side of the road. Sarah was hoping the boys would sell 200 watermelons, and she considered calling a few friends and neighbors to ensure the boys would make a handful of sales. A couple of hours later, Sarah got a call from her brother, saying there was a two-mile-long line of cars for the melons. She loaded up a couple of semi-trucks with her brother to bring some back stock for the boys. By the end of the day, they had sold 6,000 watermelons.
The boys kept up their produce stand, and they even started working with other farms to sell more types of produce. Stories like this make it evident that farming and entrepreneurship runs in the family. Sarah believes that her family and the farm’s mentality, ideals, and beliefs will attract loyal consumers.
“Food was simple. It was clean, and it was delicious. Nothing ever went to waste on our farm, because we couldn’t afford to waste anything on the farm where I grew up when I was a little girl. And it’s those same principles that apply today to our business on a much larger scale. And I think there is an opportunity to tell that story…to educate the consumer on this is who we are. This is how we grow your food. This is what’s important to us. And I think that translates to more customer loyalty at the grocery retailer.” (20:17)
As for the future, Sarah wants to see the business continue to expand into juices and the greater beverage market. She also wants to make an impact through Sarah’s Homegrown by bringing in farms outside of her company and encouraging farming in a sustainable manner. Lastly, she recently released a book titled The Growing Season, which made the Forbes list of Top 10 Reads for the Fall.
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