Binding this family together are not just the roots growing in eastern North Carolina but the strong family partnerships that have sprouted into a successful farming operation.
In 1975 Jerome and Diane Vick left their full-time jobs, one at a local bank and the other at fertilizer dealer, to begin farming on the twenty-five acres in which Jerome’s grandfather Olaud Vick raised his family of six. With endless determination and a strong work ethic they became successful farmers whose farmland has grown to over 7000 acres. They have made a place for their children Charlotte Vick and Linwood Vick to become partners and today Vick Family Farms is well known as leaders in the sweet potato industry as well as the farming community.
Located on the Southern Nash county line Vick Farms stretches over a 30 mile radius of three counties: Wilson, Nash, and Edgecombe where tobacco, sweet potatoes, cotton, soy beans, wheat, and corn are grown on some of the most fertile land in eastern North Carolina. With their strong attention to detail and unyielding quality, Vick Farms is regarded as one of the best farming operations in the world.
Vick Family Farms received one of the first Global Gap certificates in North Carolina which began the era of their global appearance. In the mid 1990’s the operation began exporting their sweet potato crop to retails stores in the UK and into many other countries. Their brands Carolina Gold and Pure Gold have a strong representation worldwide.
In 2015, Vick Family Farms recognized their global footprint was growing rapidly and expanded their operation to include a new state-of-the-art packaging facility. With this new technology the facility could accommodate increased demand from consumers and be able to size and package exactly what their customers needed. Today, they operate two facilities year round that supply the freshest quality sweet potatoes and the most dependable customer service in the industry. They now offer more packaging options and sizes, and have added an organic label known as “Natural Gold”.
With new generations yet to join the Vick partnership, Charlotte and Linwood envision many new opportunities to grow the farm into even bigger dreams. The family sees farming as “our heart and soul” and what better way to raise our children to have the same love for the land. Vick Family Farms have wonderful employees that are part of the leadership team and share the same family values which will allow us to grow into the future of Agriculture.