Eastern Carolina Organics (ECO) is a wholesale marketer and distributor working to connect local retailers and restaurants with local, organic farms and their products. ECO has been a tremendous resource for Papa Spud's, helping us to reach organic growers outside of the Triangle and in building the infrastructure necessary to actually get those products from the farm to your door!

Established in 2004 and operating out of Pittsboro, NC, ECO works with over a dozen certified organic growers from a variety of different regions throughout NC. They are owned by 13 growers, and 2 staff members, with 80% of their sales going right back to the grower. They work with farmers all across the state, which enables them to offer a wide variety of products from each of North Carolina's unique climatic regions. ECO also works as a crucial communication center, working closely with customers to properly gauge demand for each growing season. That information is then communicated to each grower, as they are assisted in planning their coming harvest in an attempt to build a robust and varied supply that accurately meets expected demand. ECO is a crucial player in the continued development of North Carolina's local food infrastructure.

http://easterncarolinaorganics.com

Gary and Teresa Wise, along with Gary’s parents, William and Helen, own and operate Wise Farms in Mount Olive, North Carolina. The original farming operation, which was founded by Gary’s grandfather, dates back to the 1930s. After teaching for three years in Wayne County, Gary decided to take over full-time operations with the family farm. Gary’s wife, Teresa continues to teach.

Patricia Wise Lait, Gary’s sister, currently maintains an online blog called Living Wise. On her blog, Patricia shares cooking tips and recipes using the season’s homegrown vegetables Wise Farms operates year-round and serves several local markets including, the North Carolina State University Farmer’s Market (located on the campus brickyard), the State Farmers Market in Raleigh, and, during the summer, the Coastal Federal Credit Union off of Wake Forest Rd. At these markets you will find Collards, Greens, Broccoli, Squash, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Blueberries, Strawberries, Radishes, Onions, Corn, Beets, Turnips, Cabbage, Pecans, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, Kale, Blackberries, and Melons. Gary sums it up well when he says “People don’t farm because it’s easy…It’s just a lifestyle, this is what I always wanted to do.”

http://campusfarmersmkt.wordpress.com/profiles/wisefarms/
http://patricialait.blogspot.com/

Robbie and Janie Cox began operating Cox Farms over 40 years ago. Having being raised around the farming community, Robbie always knew he wanted to farm. In fact, at age 16, Robbie loaded up his first crop (potatoes) and hauled them to the market to sale. Originally, Cox Farms operated on 80 acres of land that had been in the family for many generations. The produce they raised was taken to the Raleigh market and sold by the truckload to wholesale distributors. Eventually, wholesale vegetable prices had to compete with cheaper, foreign produce. In order to keep farming, Robbie and Janie transitioned their farming operations to serve local markets. Cox farms scaled down to around 16 acres and began selling their produce at a street-side vegetable stand in Goldsboro, North Carolina.

In 2008, Robbie and Janie re- located their retail stand to the Raleigh Farmer’s Market where they now serve individuals as well as local restaurants. Robbie arrives in the early morning hours to sale produce to retail markets while Janie operates the produce stand 6 days a week. Cox Farms also supports their local community by taking on-site pick-up orders and drilling irrigation wells for nearby farmers.

Robbie and Janie’s current crops consist of watermelon, peppers, eggplants, patty pan squash, Mediterranean squash, red potatoes, cantaloupes, and bi-colored corn. The fields are irrigated with drip-lines, which drip water directly to the base of the plants, thus using less water. Two greenhouses are also operating and are used to produce pesticide-free cucumbers and tomatoes. For over forty years, Cox Farms has experienced, first-hand, the shifts in the farming industry. Nothing short of determination and hard work has allowed Robbie and Janie to keep growing vegetables.

http://coxfarmproduce.com