Happy Dirt focuses on North Carolina season growth at Southern Exposure
Happy Dirt focuses on North Carolina season growth at Southern Exposure
As the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure approaches, Happy Dirt, the Durham, NC-based, farmer-owned company, is heading to the show with momentum, strategic focus and a strong outlook on its upcoming North Carolina season.
While the company will not have a booth this year, its leadership team sees that as an opportunity rather than a limitation.
“Not having a booth actually frees us up to network more intentionally,” said Taylor Meadows, marketing manager for Happy Dirt. “When you’re anchored at a booth, conversations can be quick and sometimes rushed. Walking the floor allows us to be more deliberate about who we connect with and how we spend our time.”
Attending the show show will be Helen Rosen, wholesale sales coordinator, along with vice president of sales and purchasing Pat Bayor and additional team members. The group plans to divide its time between customer meetings, farm tours surrounding the event and walking the exhibit floor with a targeted outreach strategy.
“Preparation begins well before arriving at the show,” Borst said. “We go through the attendee list one by one and identify the accounts we most want to connect with. Out of hundreds of names, we narrow that down to a focused list and reach out ahead of time to schedule meetings. Once we’re on the floor, we also rely on long-standing relationships and organic connections. There’s a lot of authentic interaction that happens naturally.”
The team arrives at Southern Exposure following a productive winter season, despite significant weather disruptions in Florida.
“The freeze in Florida created real challenges, especially with berries and warm vegetables,” Borst said. “But even through that, we’ve made strong new customer connections and stayed busy. Our goal now is to build on that momentum and continue strengthening relationships heading into our North Carolina season.”
With Florida crops impacted — including major losses in blueberries, strawberries and other warm-weather vegetables — Happy Dirt sees opportunity to spotlight its North Carolina-grown organic programs.
“Our organic strawberry season begins in April, and blueberries follow in mid-May,” Meadows said. “We won’t be able to fill the entire East Coast gap created by Florida losses, but we’ll have product available to help meet some of that demand.”
The company’s North Carolina season ramps up in May and stretches well into late summer, offering retailers and distributors a strong domestic organic option. Borst noted that some North Carolina farms have exited production this year, which could create reshuffling within the regional supply landscape.
“We think there may be opportunities as that happens,” he said.
Beyond seasonal transitions, the company is focused on growth in key categories. Potatoes have emerged as a significant expansion area.
“We used to primarily run a summer potato program, but now we’ve expanded into winter production as well,” Borst said. “We’ve found the right planting window for eastern growers to harvest in the fall and hold product through winter, which has really strengthened our year-round offering.”
Mini sweet peppers, broccoli and mini melons are also areas where Happy Dirt has asked growers to plant up.
“Younger shoppers are driving growth in the organic category across the board, but especially for items like mini sweet peppers, broccoli and mini melons,” Meadows said. “Specialty sweet potatoes, including purple and Murasaki varieties, are another priority. We’ve pushed our growers to secure more slips and increase acreage so we can better meet demand.”
Looking ahead, Happy Dirt is exploring several new initiatives, including a potential the addition of a 4-pack tray option to its organic sweet corn program, bagged organic summer squash and 1.5-pound sweet potato bags.
“We’re constantly looking at where the opportunities are and how we can support our growers while delivering what customers need,” Borst said.
New opportunities will hopefully come from SEPC as ultimately, Southern Exposure remains about connection.
“Networking is top priority,” Meadows said. “We’re excited to see longtime partners, meet new people and continue building our community in the industry.”
