(upbeat music) - [David] A Fork in the Road was brought to you by... (uprising music) - [Announcer] Georgia Soil is rich.

It's climate, agreeable.

It's agricultural variety, exceptional.

That's why we're nature's favorite state.

Georgia Grown supports the farmers and producers who work the land and keep us fed because we all grow better together.

Find out more about Georgia agriculture at georgiagrown.com.

(upbeat music) - [David] Since 1917, the Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin has been George's primary resource for all things agriculture.

From thousands of classifieds, for livestock farm supplies, equipment, and home grown goods to the latest and most important, farming news.

- The fascinating and ever changing world of agriculture.

(upbeat music) Let's hit the road here in Georgia and meet the farmers, producers, makers and bakers who keep us all fed and keep us coming back for more straight ahead at the Fork in the Road.

(upbeat music) ♪ I came from the mud ♪ ♪ There's dirt on my hands ♪ ♪ Strong like a tree ♪ ♪ There's roots where I stand ♪ - [David] Georgia farmers, artisans, merchants and producers, we depend on these men and women every day of our lives through the choices we make in the food we consume.

Their strategy and approach is always shifting but the end game remains the same result.

(upbeat music) (soft music) No doubt 2020 was tough, but the farmers of Georgia stuck together and many Georgia based companies found creative ways to right the ship, stay afloat themselves, and at times even step up and help others in need.

This week, we feature a few Georgia companies that did step up to the plate when challenges arose and made the peach state proud.

We began in Northeast Atlanta at PREP Atlanta, a shared kitchen and food production powerhouse that was ready for the challenge from the start.

(guitar music) PREP Atlanta is a unique blend of shared and private commercial kitchen space.

And is one of these Georgia-grown providers who has a plan to help both their business and the entire greater Atlanta community.

(upbeat music) - PREP was created with my partners, Doug Marranci and JR Marranci to accommodate the demand for food entrepreneurs and their need to have commercial kitchen space, permit ready space, but a host of other services, mobile food service, catering companies, consumer packaged, goods companies, meal PREP companies, central commissaries for restaurants, and many more.

(uprising music) - [David] Mitch Jaffe is the CEO of PREP and had an original vision that has blossomed to become a local and regional hit.

- Since it started in 2014, it has grown to the point where it's launched over 450 companies out of the Atlanta facility.

We're also the largest food truck commissary in the South PREP is, we have over 50 food trucks based out of here.

And this is their home base of operations for work in Metro, Atlanta and beyond.

- [David] And like many other successful businesses, this one is all about teamwork and partnership.

PREP Atlanta's COO Doug Marranci takes us around the 83,000 square foot campus.

Introducing the variety of partners that help fuel this food supplying machine.

(guitar music) - Tracy Gribbon with Georgia Sourdough is one of PREPs success stories.

She started in the shared kitchen when PREP first opened when all the way to now where she's in her own dedicated space, producing pallets of Georgia Sourdough crackers.

We're in the kitchen of Lolli's LowCarb Granola, another PREP success story.

They went from the shared kitchen to a dedicated space.

And as you see, they're in high production right now Lolli's is working on building their brand.

They're part of the system of Georgia Grown products.

Locally produced very important in the infrastructure of local safe products with clean ingredients.

Java Saga is a wonderful success story here at PREP.

They've been here for a couple of years with a food truck.

You may have seen him around town and they've opened up this Taiwanese walk up window at PREP.

They have the most awesome chicken sandwich that you're ever going to see.

(upbeat music) - I came along to PREP about seven years or so ago.

And I started there with my catering business.

Once we discovered that PREP was going to expand into PREP 2, we took a advantage there and we actually leased out a space of our own.

When we did the new concept, the Little Farmhouse Cafe, which is a local, fresh organic lunch, brunch breakfast place, it blew up on us.

We had people in lines, out the door didn't matter if it was raining, if it was snowing outside, these people were waiting outside the door.

So it said a lot about what we we're doing and that we were doing things right.

(guitar music) I've started out as a little kid learning how to cook with my grandmother and we gave back and that's how we give back.

And that's how our business grows.

Our relationships grow with our farmers.

It's those little getting to know your farmer, getting to know where your food is coming from and staying local and supporting local, helping others grow.

And that is the main, main reason that I focus on that, that I believe in that.

And it has done nothing but bring great things to everyone.

(upbeat music) - [David] Of course, during this COVID-19 pandemic almost every restaurant has been forced to revamp and reevaluate, but Doug, Mitch, Jr. and the rest of the PREP extended family have acted quickly and formulated a plan that can both save these businesses and feed the city.

Time for the ATL to Chow Down.

(instrumental music) - We have a saying around here, don't accept your fate.

There is a huge need to feed people out there.

The idea through chowdownatl.com is to create an easy to use portal to reach our membership, you'll land at chowdownatl.com and then you'll be able to shop for different things.

Mainly pre-prepared, even pre-cooked foods, refrigerated that you can take home and stock your fridge for the week and feed your family curbside pickup, and also delivery.

(upbeat music) - We are providing a new entity to our business and that is prepared meals, still offering our catering, doing family meals, doing deliveries to families, doing donations to shelters such as the women's shelter out near Tucker.

It's not only helping us stay afloat and helping us supply work for our employees, but it's helping the community as well.

(upbeat music) Right now it's tough for the farmers too.

If there is any type of way such as coffee grounds, any produce or anything like that, that is salvageable, we are taking that and we're building a program right now with PREP to where we have compost containers that will actually be controlled and then supported by the farmers and return to these farms that I work with locally to do that circle of life and put it right back into the ground and right back into our kitchens, and right back to your home.

(upbeat music) - [David] It was inspiring to see this team in action, the unity they have and taking those extra steps to keep themselves and everyone they feed safe and satisfied.

(upbeat music) From the outskirts of Atlanta to the heart of the big city where the King of Pops sets up shop.

And their challenge was a tough one.

(upbeat music) In this corner, we have the undisputed King of Pops.

(upbeat music) Over the past 10 years, Steven and his brother Nick have built a Popsicle based empire.

And it all started from this simple little freezer and an ever evolving idea.

(guitar music) - 2009, we were in the midst of a recession and I was working in the insurance industry.

I got laid off and had this dream that I'd had with my two older brothers to start a Popsicle company.

We'd been inspired by the Paletta which is the Spanish word for Popsicle.

My oldest brother is an anthropologists, so his travels, he would take us around and we'd be trying these amazing desserts and just thought it was something that would make a lot of sense here in the States.

Thought we'd open a shop up ended up not having enough money, did a pushcart instead.

And the rest is kind of history.

We've been at events around the South, doing all kinds of stuff.

We now sell retail and stores and we'll kind of go anywhere.

We've got a little carts or we're able to be pretty mobile.

And that's how we started the business.

Just go into the places where we wanted to be, whether that was a concert, a friend's backyard, barbecue or whatever.

We just started in that really small grassroots way and just have kept that going.

And I built a pretty good business.

(guitar music) - [David] Yes, these pops are special many coming sourced with a loving dose of Georgia-grown.

- Instead of corn syrup and artificial colorings, it's real fruit and just healthier, more wholesome product.

- [David] Be it locally grown strawberries or milk from the Working Cows Dairy, these guys even have their own farm, fittingly known as King of Crops.

- We started our own farm about five years ago.

So we grow some of our produce there.

And we also are just working with a lot of local partners whether that's peaches, blackberries, blueberries to keep trying to find interesting flavors.

It's amazing that 10 years later, we are still coming up with new flavors that almost every day.

(instrumental music) - [David] But just like so many restaurants and businesses around the world, the King of Pops have been forced to instantly reevaluate and revamp their strategy.

- We were ramping up for a really big year.

It was gonna be our 10th year, had a lot of big plans to celebrate and that kind of changed.

So the productions pretty much halted with no events with, with no pops needed.

There's kind of no part-time work.

So we furloughed that part of our team which was really, really difficult.

And now we are trying to figure out a pivot that will work in this kind of new environment that we were all kind of getting used to together.

We're making vegan chili it's kinda spicy, so then we made a sloppy Joe mix for kids.

We've got a coconut chocolate sea salt cream pie.

We've got a build your own Popsicle kit.

You can buy.

So you can make your pops at home with your kids if you're kind of bored.

Delivery seems to be the opportunity and we started a new website called rainbowprovisions.com.

Our umbrella company is called Rainbow Umbrella.

So we're trying to add value in a safe way.

Our purpose as a company is creating unexpected moments of happiness.

So we might not be the exact person you think of, but this stuff's really good.

And I think that little moment of joy or smile that we can provide, whether it's a pop or one of these other items is really special.

(instrumental music) - [David] Since this story was filmed in late March, 2020, the King of Pops Neighborhood Partner Program has been the primary way they've responded to COVID instead of having their own sales department scouring the South for events, their biggest fans do it instead.

Steven says that the mix of brand recognition and their entrepreneurial spirit have helped them find revenue that they never would have known existed.

(guitar music) So support your King if you can, because seeing these refreshing little carts all over town would make for a beautiful summer in the South.

(upbeat music) From the pushcarts courtesy, the King of pops to the big refrigerator trucks packed with fresh local fruits and veggies, let's now journey to the Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Park to see how a few Georgia based food truck companies stepped up when the going got tough.

(instrumental music) - You can call it, Atlanta refrigerator.

The Atlanta Farmers Market packed with a wealth of fresh fruits, veggies, and other Georgia-grown goodies.

Along with the thriving outdoor market and an onsite restaurant, it's the headquarters of three Georgia base produce packing and delivery companies that for years have been supplying restaurants, retailers and markets all over the Southeastern USA.

- We try and buy as much Georgia-grown products as possible and support the state of Georgia.

We deliver within 10 States overnight, Georgia-grown products when in season.

- There are several reasons why we'd like to deal with Georgia Grown products.

One is the product's gonna be fresher when you can get out of your backyard as much better.

Usually the freight on it is gonna be cheaper.

So there's an economic incentive as well to use local products.

(guitar music) - [David] When driving Georgia roads, you've probably seen these trucks and wondered what they did.

The Nicky Gregory Company, Collins Brothers Produce and Athena Farms all play a major role in getting fresh fruits, veggies, milk, eggs the whole cornucopia from their big fridges to your local grocery, your favorite restaurant and everywhere else all over the South.

(guitar music) - We started off in the produce business on our own in June of 1970.

Just selling to straight trade that would come and many communities would come here two to three days a week to buy a product and take it back to their local communities.

And then the marketplace changed.

So now we'll ship out about a hundred truck loads a day all over Georgia and Atlanta and areas around Georgia.

Our niche is in taking crush ground products and getting them to market place in a timely manner.

And one of the things we specialize in is Georgia Grown.

- Yeah, Nicky's been in the produce business since he was a kid and he started off just him and his wife with one small little cooler here on the market.

And now we've got 150,000 square feet of warehouse space under a two roofs.

- Athena Farms is unique in that none of our customers have a contract with us.

A restaurant doesn't have a contract with his customer, the customer's going to come in because he wants to.

And so that's really the relationship that we have with our customers.

They call us because we do something for them.

(guitar music) - [David] Nicky Gregory and Collins brothers were quickly able to adapt to the sudden changes due to pandemic.

They knew people wanted and needed their products.

So the key was taking action and fast.

(guitar music) - We've got two niches to our business, a retail piece and a food service space.

The retail piece is actually done pretty well because they're going to retail stores and people continue to support the retail grocery stores.

- We were probably 80 to 85% food service business.

We were able to do with our business model flip it to selling retail customers.

So the Kroger's, Publix's of the world independence all across the Southeast.

So that's really helped us.

So instead of let's say bulk oranges, we brought in four pound bag oranges instead of bulk landmines we brought in two pound lemons.

- [David] Athena Farms was in a whole different boat.

And as we all know the restaurants were one of the first to feel the hit.

We don't do any business with the Kroger or Publix or anybody like that.

And we have been hit really hard with the fact that the restaurants were closed.

And even though they're opening up now, it's just a trickle.

We were sitting on a lot of inventory and rather than throw that in the dumpster, we were able to funnel that to a lot of our customers, employees, and we distributed over 5,000 relief boxes ourselves.

- [David] Now the biggest shot in the arm to these three essential longtime Georgia businesses came with the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program.

$3 billion distributed nationwide to help deliver fresh produce, dairy and meat products to food banks, community and faith-based organizations and other nonprofits serving Americans in need.

- I think that's one of the reasons we were able to transition into the USDA Relief Box Program.

The Georgia ground box is a box that has carrots apples, blueberries, corn, items that are fresh.

Have to be refrigerated and are good for your body when you eat them.

- This is something in our wheelhouse.

We've done food type boxes before.

So we knew exactly how to do that.

And our goal was to try to develop a box that would feed a family of four for a week.

30 or 40 different organizations have reached out to us to help them take care of their communities.

And you just feel good about helping folks.

- [David] Taking a tour of these three Atlanta refrigerators was an amazing sight indeed.

They are working hard, continuing to deliver to Georgia and the rest of the South.

And we'll be prepared for whatever comes next.

April, 2020 was tough.

So many in the food industry were quickly and creatively finding ways to survive.

And this farmer, vendor's, city combination in Snellville brought food and consumers together in a way that made Georgia proud.

(instrumental music) It's the sweetness of a Georgia strawberry, those ripen luscious blueberries that feed our bellies and our brain, Georgia pecans, peanuts, peaches and Vidalia onions.

This list goes on.

And for that, we're all proud to be Georgia-grown.

And speaking of Georgia Proud, John Short has built a business that has done just that for the past dozen years.

(instrumental music) - 11 years ago, I was going to local farmer's markets and didn't see any peaches.

And I thought, well that's something that's grown local that really needs to be out there.

And I grew up down in Peach County and my first job was actually in a packing shed.

And so I wanted to get out there and offer what I know Georgia grows better than anyone else, and that's Georgia peaches.

- [David] Georgia Proud Provisions supplies the Metro Atlanta area with Georgia-grown crops from places like Pearson Farms that don't have the capacity or availability to sell what they grow at the grassroots level.

- We represent local farms in Georgia that are not able to get out to local restaurants and farmer's markets and get their great products.

- [David] The Snellville Farmer's Market is just one of several spots where you'll find John and his crew.

- John Short, who represents Pearson Farm at our market has been a vendor with us for several years.

They are a very popular vendor at our summer market with their peaches from Fort Valley and pecans.

And they're here today with strawberries also from the Fort Valley area.

And he has been extremely popular today.

We started these off season markets last year to provide an opportunity for our farmers primarily to have an outlet to sell their products during the off season.

(guitar music) - [David] And during times like this Georgia Proud and the markets like this one in downtown Snellville had to adapt quickly to number one, make sure people get their delicious Georgia-grown products.

And number two, get them safely.

- [Short] This is a unique drive-through situation where people are able to shop and we bring it to them.

- We have every vendor, of course, wearing a mask and gloves.

We have them coming through with their trunk up so that the vendor can just put the products right in the trunk.

And then as they exit the market they can stop and close their trunk.

So there is no contact.

- And they can pay like this person's doing right now, electronically over the phone.

Cash is no longer king, but we are accepting it.

And we let people get their own change that we don't have to touch anything.

And then we provide hand sanitizing for them.

So we're trying to do everything we can to make it as safe as we can.

- [David] It's folks like John that work hard, get creative and take those extra steps to make sure everyone gets these high quality Georgia products in the safest way possible.

May, 2020 many farmers were struggling.

People wanted their fresh fruits and vegetables but many of the usual chains of operation were unhinged.

However, a temporary band-aid was developed for all parties involved aimed to help right the ship and get the consumers that Georgia-grown goodness that they so crazy.

(country music) Georgia farmers are resilient, patient and always ready to react.

Spring freezes, hurricanes, drought, every season every year, something unpredictable happens.

And 2020 took things to a whole new level, but the farmers and the farming community reacted quickly.

And so did the consumers who love the product.

Within 21 days of concept, the Georgia Grown To-Go pop-up market was born.

The farmers delivered and here in Cobb County the local community followed suit with an estimated 7,000 customers lining up to get their fresh stash of Georgia-grown and grossing over $170,000 in sales.

(upbeat music) - That's a Georgia-grown to go mourn in then Cobb County, we've got Georgia-grown consumers which you can see them by the hundreds, are great Georgia-grown farmers here who we have privilege of working with.

And now we're getting to bring those two groups together with great Georgia-grown products.

- It just happened the last 21 days, Commissioner Black, he brought a good friends from South Georgia.

We left support the Georgia farmer, get the food trade more direct here to Cobb County.

And it, as you see it brought the people.

We're delighted for this opportunity.

- When we barked the shot deal several weeks ago, we knew how Cobb County was a place to really make the show.

And they've just out done themselves today enough.

I think our farmers have to.

(upbeat music) - [David] As devastating as this virus has been this year, many of George's fruits and veggies took a turn for the better Brandon Smith has been running the Georgia Peach Truck for years slinging sweet Georgia peaches all around the country.

And he was at the pop-up market armed with a fresh stash of Dickey Farms Peaches.

- It's amazing.

This is one of the best year we've seen for peaches in decades.

We have the right combination of a cold winter and we had just a really remarkably frost-free spring.

We often get nipped a little bit during the spring with some frost.

Didn't have any frost damage this year, which is somewhat unusual.

- There's nothing more a Bulletproof or rock solid, I think than a great peach from Georgia.

- [David] Many of the veggies of this pop-up market are coming from Corbett Brothers Farms way down in Lake Park, Georgia.

And just like the peaches, they are also looking good in 2020.

- Georgia has the perfect crop climate for growing parties.

Actually we have the perfect climate twice a year to grow produce.

In South Georgia we have a spring season and a fall season.

We're out in the middle of our spring season right now.

I thank the Commissioner Gary Black for putting this thing together, him and the Department of Ag.

It's an excellent idea.

It helps get fresh produce to the people that have been quarantined.

And also it helps us farmers to move more products.

(upbeat music) - [David] It's a pleasant dose of goodness and positivity seeing this community rally.

Watching Georgia's local and state leaders band together to support a common cause.

The Georgia Grown team hosted close to a dozen pop-up markets throughout Georgia in 2020 with total sales of over $700,000, all in an effort to support the farmers feed the community and keeping it local now more than ever.

(guitar music) From farm to family, the methods have changed and nearly every business in the world of food has had to alter from the norm, but in doing so we've also witnessed resilience and optimism for the future.

See you at the next Fork in the Road.

(instrumental music) (upbeat music) A fork in the Road was brought to you by.

- [Announcer] Georgia Soil is rich.

It's climate, agreeable.

It's agricultural variety, exceptional.

That's why we're nature's favorite state.

Georgia Grown supports the farmers and producers who work the land and keep us fed because we all grow better together.

Find out more about Georgia agriculture at georgiagrown.com.

(upbeat music) - [Man] Georgia FSIS provides efficient and accurate third-party inspection services to members of the industry.

We inspect various fresh commodities including peanuts, fruits, vegetables, and pecans.

The use of the inspection service ensures the shipment of high quality products and enhances George's reputation as a supplier of superior agricultural products.