Page 20 - February2019

include larger growers, smaller growers and individuals who bring small volumes of grape- fruit and oranges from their backyard trees or vegetables from their gardens to the store.
Greens are a popular item, which the store sells through the year. e product works well, as South Georgia is a year-long leafy greens grower and shipper.
“We deal with all local,” says Holton. “When one is growing, the other is picking, the other will be planting. We love the thought of keeping it as local as we can. at helps keep prices down.” e farthest distance a local grower brings product to Farmer Brown’s is peanuts from Gainesville, FL.
Larger suppliers include Ken Corbett Farms, Generation Farms, Herring Farms and South Georgia Produce, all in nearby Lake Park, GA. ose grower-shippers supply traditional Southern vegetables, including bell peppers, cucumbers and squash, while Generation Farms also supplies carrots. “We have some pretty big farms around us,” says Holton. “South of us is the carrot capital of the world. We try to buy every carrot we can from them, which stays fresh and is local.”
Large Production Region
Other big local items include red pota- toes, sweet potatoes, onions, Vidalia onions, white acre peas, apples, blueberries, melons
20 / FEBRUARY 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS
and peaches. “ e Valdosta area is big in produce,” says Holton. “ e Vidalia area is just a hop-and-skip away. ere are plenty of packinghouses to buy from in this area. ey produce good produce at the right times of the year.”
During the winter, when most local produce isn’t in production, Farmer Brown’s receives product from General Produce, an Atlanta wholesaler.
e store has been generating relationships with local growers since its 1979 start, when founder Rex Ethridge, 77, left his longtime job with Harveys Supermarket and began selling produce on his own. Ethridge, who has worked in produce all his life, began as a bag boy and did a variety of jobs in the Valdosta Harveys produce department for 20 years. “Grandpa worked for Harveys since he was 13,” says Holton. “He saw how produce could ow and how it could go, so he thought he could go on his own ... the American dream.”
After peddling produce from the back of his truck for several years, Ethridge built a building in the mid-1980s. In 2005, he relo- cated the store to its current location on the opposite side of town.
Refusing to retire, Ethridge remains involved in the store’s operation and visits often. He’s often seen mingling with customers and helps when needed.
Family Focused
Phil Ethridge, one of Rex Ethridge’s sons, is co-owner with his father and runs the oper- ation. e younger Ethridge, Holton’s uncle, worked for the U.S. National Guard before returning to the family business. Holton married Ashley Ethridge Holton, the daughter of Rex Ethridge, Jr., Phil Ethridge’s brother. Holton worked 10 years in store operations before advancing to store manager.
With the company being run by second- and third-generation family members, even the 7- and 8-year-old children of Phil Ethridge and Holton help with the store. Bryson and Mason, Holton’s sons, and Browning Ethridge, carry bags for customers and work other store jobs during summers. When one of the store’s local growers visits the store, he asks if Holton’s sons want to pick greens, potatoes and peas. “It’s good for them to do that kind of work because they see how product gets from the farm to the table,” says Holton.
Competitors of Farmer Brown’s include other produce stores and Walmart, Publix and Harveys, which sell non-produce items that Farmer Brown’s doesn’t sell.“We are competitive on the prices, and we try to beat our competitors every week in our ads,”says Holton.“We try our best to keep prices as low as we can, so customers can come to us. Our customers know fresher, local produce is coming from this area, which is a lot of the reason why they shop here.”
In July, the store plans to mark its 40th anniversary via a large customer appreciation sale. “Forty years is a big deal for a smaller company,” says Holton. pb
FACT FILE:
Farmer Brown’s Produce
1500 S. Patterson,
Valdosta, GA, 31601
P: (229) 247-4672
Hours: Mon – Sat 8 am to 6 pm; Sundays 8 am to 5 pm farmerbrowns.co