If someone asked for a book recommendation from me this year, “The Growing Season” by Sarah Frey was always at the top of the list. It is an honest, gutsy and fascinating telling of Frey’s journey from a farm upbringing in southern Illinois to leading one of the country’s largest family-operated produce business.
The youngest of her parents’ combined 21 children, Frey grew up on a struggling farm. At 15, she moved out of her family home and started her own fresh produce delivery business with nothing more than an old pickup truck.
Two years later, when the family farm faced foreclosure. Frey questioned herself: Without this land, where will be? More importantly, who will we be?
Frey bought the farm with a loan based on the cash flow of her produce route and a business plan to start her own vegetable farm. At 17, she began making deals with the nation’s largest retailers. Her early negotiations became so legendary that Harvard Business School published some of her deals (primarily with Wal-Mart) as case studies.
Today, Frey Farms operates grows watermelon, sweet corn, squash and pumpkins in seven states. Trust me, you’ll enjoy her story.
You can even meet Frey at the 2022 Top Producer Summit! She’ll share live lessons about how to see past life’s imperfections and find the good even in dark times.
Register for the 2022 Top Producer Summit!
