Husband and Wife Team Purchases North Carolina Organic Company Creating Full Circle Happening

New Sprout Organic Farms, near Asheville, NC, was recently purchased by Joey Hocutt and Kristi Hocutt, a husband-and-wife team who have a long-time presence in the southeastern agriculture industry as growers, packers and shippers. Joey Hocutt is president of Triple J Produce, Inc. in Sims, NC, and Kristi is the director of sales and marketing.

“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,” says Joey Hocutt.

New Sprout Organic Farms was founded in 2011 by Alan and Jill Rose as a 50-acre growing operation. The company became a prominent distributor of southeastern grown organic produce serving customers year-round along the East Coast, into the Midwest, and Canada. New Sprout’s operation includes a network of 10 family farms representing thousands of growing acres in North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. “As retirement approached, our goal in transitioning ownership was to idenify a buyer who could preserve and build upon the legacy,” says Alan Rose.

“Joey and I recognize this purchase as a full circle happening,” says Kristi Hocutt. “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,” explains Hocutt.

Dedication and farming go hand-in-hand along with looking to the future while taking care of family, farming partners and relationships with retailers. The Hocutts anticipate continued growth as they salute the achievements made by the dependable New Sprout team. Kristi explains, “People are asking about major changes we plan to make, and the simple answer is the New Sprout team is staying intact. 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,” says Joey Hocutt. “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 lengthy product availability list includes beets, baby Bok choi, broccoli, cabbage varieties, cauliflower, assorted greens, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, assorted peppers, squash, tomatoes, watermelon, and sweet potatoes.

There are 10 growers in the existing network and the Hocutts say they have received positive feedback and glowing messages of enthusiasm for potential growth from the growers. “Customers also have been supportive about Joey and me buying New Sprout Organic Farms,” says Kristi, who reveals the purchase officially happened December 30, 2023. Though yearround product availability is extensive with so many farms in the network, Kristi indicates supermarkets especially look to New Sprout for organic sweet potatoes, kale, cabbage, squash, tomatoes, and cucumbers.