THOMASVILLE, GA - Foodshed.io, in partnership with The Kroger Company, has worked together to launch “Georgia Sunnies - Extra Friendly” - the brand for the South Georgia produce cooperative, to customers exclusively.

“Family citrus growers take a lot of risk in planting trees and hoping that our fruit would find a market,” said Lindy Savelle, Board Chair, Georgia Citrus Growers Association and a “Georgia Sunnies” grower. “Helping our growers get ready for retail and finding a market is critical to the success of these new groves.”

The new “Georgia Sunnies” brand brings together dozens of family growers with multiple varieties of citrus—and have together helped to build the foundation for the citrus industry in Georgia, a press release stated. With varieties ranging from Cara Caras, Golden Nuggets, Shuranuis, Meyer Lemons, Grapefruit, Stem and Leaf Satsumas, and more - that have been grown in Georgia and marketed to retail consumers for the first time.

“These growers are regular people who took a chance years ago that the trees they planted would not only bear fruit, but would find a market,” said Dr. Dan Beckmann, CEO of Foodshed.io. “Working with our partners at Kroger, we’ve been able to help these growers with the elusive last step of reaching consumers and building a brand to market their incredibly hard work.”

Foodshed.io worked with Kroger inspectors and category managers to make sure that these growers could meet or exceed standards and exclusively launched the “Georgia Sunnies - Extra Friendly” brand in select stores in the Atlanta market and throughout the state of Georgia this season.

“These growers range from a former FBI agent, a gynecologist, a nurse to multi-generational growers,” said Amelia Weeks, director of Farm operations, Foodshed.io. “We have been grateful to Kroger in helping us to establish this program and bring better flavor and fresher quality to their customers.”

Foodshed.io has the largest network of retail-ready local farms across the country and works with some of the best retailers in the country to bring fresher, seasonal and more flavorful produce to customers across the country.

“We can’t underscore how important our retail partners are in helping to bring more farms into the market, providing better flavor and quality to their customers while helping to secure our food system, all at the same time,” said Beckmann. “Seasonal local produce can create exclusive opportunities that differentiate retailers in the market and at the end of the day drives traffic to stores to increase sales overall.”

Stay tuned for more industry updates.