Walmart teams up with carrot supplier, powering reindeer
Walmart teams up with carrot supplier, powering reindeer
What started as a simple gesture, leaving a few crunchy carrots next to the cookies and milk, has grown into one of the most heartwarming and enduring holiday traditions for families with young children. It’s a moment filled with imagination: kids carefully selecting the perfect carrots for Santa’s reindeer, debating which gets the biggest one and proudly arranging their display before heading to bed.
As the holiday approaches, parents and kids in Walmart stores pick out fresh carrots for Santa’s team. And behind this growing tradition is a uniquely American story, one rooted in family, local agriculture and a decades-long collaboration with a Colorado farm.
Many of the carrots Walmart shoppers rely on for this year’s ritual come from Hungenberg Produce, a fourth-generation family farm in Greeley, CO. From its modest beginnings more than a century ago with just six acres, the farm has expanded to more than 6,000 acres and harvests nearly 1 million pounds of carrots every day for Walmart customers.
Hungenberg Produce has been a Walmart supplier for more than 20 years, growing from just six acres to over 6,000 and delivering locally sourced carrots across 36 states.
While the holiday tradition may be timeless, the carrots themselves move fast. Many of the carrots shoppers will buy during the holiday season were grown in Colorado soil just days before they made it to stores.
At Hungenberg Produce, carrots are harvested, washed, packed and on a truck to a Walmart distribution center in under 48 hours. From there, they travel through Walmart’s supply chain and onto store shelves, often arriving within 72 to 96 hours of harvest.
That speed means families picking up carrots for the reindeer are taking home produce at peak freshness. For kids, it adds a touch of real-world magic: these carrots really did come straight from the farm in time for Santa’s arrival.
As families look for ways to create connection and joy during the holidays, the reindeer-carrot tradition continues to grow. It’s imaginative and easy for children to take ownership of, and it celebrates the idea that even small acts of kindness matter.
And behind every carrot left out for Rudolph is a bigger story: a Colorado family farm, a fresh and efficient supply chain, and Walmart’s commitment to supporting U.S. growers.
This holiday season, as children place their carrots beside Santa’s cookies, Walmart said it is proud to help keep the tradition alive, and even prouder to support the American farmers who make it possible.
