ACRE Awards $185K to SC Entrepreneurs in Agribusiness
South Carolina Department of Agriculture
Hugh E. Weathers, Commissioner
Media Contacts: Eva Moore, SCDA Communications Director, 803-734-2196, emoore@scda.sc.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 15, 2023
ACRE Awards $185K to SC Entrepreneurs in Agribusiness
COLUMBIA – A goat dairy, an artisanal jam company, a produce-and-flower farm, and an organic vegetable grower are among the South Carolina businesses awarded new funding through the South Carolina Department of Agriculture’s Agribusiness Center for Research and Entrepreneurship (ACRE).
Twelve entrepreneurs will share $185,000 in funding for their innovative agribusiness ventures.
The finalists pitched to a panel of judges on June 7 and were scored based on their business plans, a five-minute video presentation and their demonstrated history of business success. The diverse group of awardees encompass animal agriculture, specialty food producers, produce farms, and new and established farmers:
- Split Creek Farm, a goat farm and cheesemaker in Anderson, is modernizing its milk bottling to better meet customer demand. (Anderson County)
- Sakhar Jams, a Columbia company that makes artisanal jams using Certified South Carolina fruit and Indian flavors, will leverage the grant for warehouse and kitchen space. (Richland County)
- Paxville-based Grateville Acres, a diversified farm supplying produce and flowers in a food desert, plans to add a multi-use wash/pack building. (Clarendon County)
- Bio Way Farm, which has been growing organic produce since 2004 in Ware Shoals, plans to build a new packing shed and commercial kitchen to reduce produce waste and support its continued expansion. (Greenwood County)
- Gullah Man Oyster Co. is working to transition from wild harvest to farmed oysters on its Saint Helena Island farm. (Beaufort County)
- Old Tyme Bean Co. is expanding its shelling capacity to process more butterbeans, field peas and other local legumes. (Calhoun County)
- Warrenville-based Purebred Compost creates compost for area farms using waste from horse farms and green debris from landscapers. They aim to buy a compost mixer and bag filler to scale up their operations. (Aiken County)
- Momma B’s Farm, a regenerative farm on 20 acres, will market its teas and produce boxes and branch out into honey production. (Edgefield County)
- Joyful Souls Heirloom Nursery, a seedling farm based in Columbia, aims to expand its garden education mission through new teaching tools. (Richland County)
- Altman Farm and Mill, based in Florence, plans to adopt more efficient packaging and scale up production with new equipment. (Florence County)
- Fifth generation farmer Marvin Ross and his brother Jada Ross raise heritage pigs using woodlot practices at Peculiar Pig Farm in Dorchester. They plan to open a butcher shop with freezer storage to achieve more meat processing efficiency. (Dorchester County)
- Set in Stone Sustainability Farm of Jenkinsville will build new facilities to develop its agricultural education mission. (Fairfield County)
“These finalists were selected from a larger pool of applicants, and it wasn’t an easy choice – we had an outstanding bunch of entrepreneurs,” said ACRE Executive Director Kyle Player. “ACRE continues to attract and nurture some of our state’s top talent in agribusiness.”
Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers congratulated the awardees.
“Through ACRE, we spotlight and assist some truly deserving entrepreneurs,” Weathers said. “To ensure a bright future for South Carolina agriculture, we need to continue supporting their creativity, drive and vision.”
SCDA founded ACRE in 2018 to help identify and nurture new ideas and businesses in the Palmetto State’s agribusiness sector. ACRE also partners with Clemson Extension to offer a curriculum program each fall to train and mentor beginning agricultural entrepreneurs and prepare them to seek advanced award funding. To learn more, visit acre-sc.com.
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ACRE Awards $185K to SC Entrepreneurs in Agribusiness [pdf]