Black Mountain, North Carolina-based New Sprout Organic Farms LLC has been purchased by Joey and Kristi Hocutt, a husband and wife team with a long-time presence in the southeastern agriculture industry as growers-packers-shippers.
Joey Hocutt is president of Triple J Produce Inc. in Sims, North Carolina, and Kristi Hocutt is the director of sales and marketing, according to a news release, which noted the deal officially closed Dec. 30, 2023.
“As an ag couple dedicated to family and farming, Kristi and I are genuinely pleased to announce this achievement and continue with our strategy of growth and building the family legacy. That’s what I’ve known in my farming life, and now with our buying New Sprout, we’re fortifying that goal,” Joey Hocutt said in the release.
New Sprout Organic Farms was founded in 2011 by Alan and Jill Rose as a 50-acre growing operation, becoming a a prominent distributor of southeastern-grown organic produce serving customers year-round along the East Coast and into the Midwest and Canada, according to the release. The company’s operation includes 10 family farms representing thousands of growing acres in North Carolina, Florida and Georgia.
“As retirement approached, our goal in transitioning ownership was to identify a buyer who could preserve and build upon the legacy,” Alan Rose said in the release.
“Joey and I recognize this purchase as a full-circle happening,” Kristi Hocutt said in the release. “Back when New Sprout was a singular farm, we were the very first farm to partner with them as they began to expand. That decision essentially launched the network grower program the company has in place today.”
The Hocutts said they anticipate continued growth while acknowledging the New Sprout team’s previous achievements.
“People are asking about major changes we plan to make, and the simple answer is the New Sprout team is staying intact,” Kristi Hocutt said. “We will bring in more people to add value and help with strategic/sustainable growth.”
“Supermarkets can continue to look to New Sprout for a wide offering of certified organic produce,” Joey Hocutt said. “The in-place network the company has with reputable and dedicated growers in the southeast makes it possible for the show to go on. Supermarkets depend on us, and their customers are families that count on our fresh, healthy produce.”
The company’s product availability list includes beets, baby bok choy, broccoli, cabbage varieties, cauliflower, assorted greens, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, assorted peppers, squash, tomatoes, watermelon and sweetpotatoes, according to the release.
The Hocutts said they have received positive feedback and enthusiasm for potential growth from the 10 growers in the existing network.
“Customers also have been supportive about Joey and me buying New Sprout Organic Farms,” Kristi Hocutt said.
Though year-round product availability is extensive within the grower network, she said supermarkets especially look to New Sprout for organic sweetpotatoes, kale, cabbage, squash, tomatoes and cucumbers.
