Mother Earth Produce acquires Blue Ridge Food Ventures’ Winter Sun Farms

Due to numerous changes in structure and ownership, Blue Ridge Food Ventures has decided to cease operating Winter Sun Farms, Western North Carolina’s only year-round community supported agriculture initiative. However, local family-owned farm-to-door delivery business Mother Earth Produce announced today that it will take over running the CSA.

Mother Earth Produce, which works with local farmers to deliver locally produced organic meats, cheese, vegetables, fruit and other food items for delivery in WNC and upstate South Carolina, recently competed as one of six national finalists in Miller Lite’s Tap the Future business competition.

Read the press release below for more details on plans for Winter Sun Farms:

PRESS RELEASE from Mother Earth Produce:

Arden, N.C. (September 30, 2015) — While most farmers markets are closing for the season soon, Mother Earth Produce (MEP) delivers local farm food to over 300 area homes all year long. In addition to fruits and vegetables, MEP delivers local & organic meats, cheeses, coffee, grains and edibles from regional farms and food producers to doorsteps in WNC and upstate South Carolina.

This winter, MEP will expand their offerings to include frozen fruits and vegetables from local farms due to the acquisition of the region’s only year-round CSA, Winter Sun Farms. Blue Ridge Food Ventures (BRFV), a nonprofit organization and previous operator of Winter Sun Farms, has gone through some major changes over the last year; the most significant of which is a change in ownership. BRFV will continue to focus on economic development through business, job creation and to strive for sustainability of Blue Ridge Food Ventures itself, but has decided to discontinue running Winter Sun Farms.

“We’re excited to announce that we’ve found a partner that shares the vision and mission of Winter Sun Farms. Yes, you will still be able to enjoy the region’s agricultural abundance thanks to our partnership with locally owned Mother Earth Produce”, says Chris Reedy, Executive Director of Blue Ridge Food Ventures.

Mother Earth Produce, a family-owned, local business launched in April 2012, works with more than 25 farms and regional food producers, listed below.  Delivery by their “veggie van” is free and orders placed online are customizable by size and contents. Starting at just $27 per bin, shoppers can choose a recurring weekly delivery, pause delivery based on personalized need, or order week-by-week.

“We order every week,” says Susanne Hackett, a customer since 2012. “The quality of the produce is amazing, and it’s such a time saver having it delivered.  We look forward to Thursday all week!”