CALHOUN COUNTY, S.C. — Twelve entrepreneurs throughout South Carolina will receive part of a $185,000 agribusiness grant from the State Department of Agriculture. Five awardees are here in the Midlands, including Richland, Clarendon, and Fairfield counties.
One of the awardees is the Old Tyme Bean Company in Elloree.
"Demand far outpaces my ability to keep up," said owner Josh Johnson.
From pink-eyed peas to black-eyed peas, white acre peas, and lima beans, the company grows them all. They are grown on the farm in Elloree and then taken to the on-site shelling facility to get sorted and bagged.
The company produces about 70 to 100 bushels of beans and peas a day.
Johnson said that with the company only having one shelling line, they've been struggling to keep up with the demand of customers.
"I have to send them to some neighboring farms that may be producing stuff in Manning or Earhart or someplace like that," he said.
That's until now. The company was awarded a $10,000 grant from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture's Agribusiness Center for Research and Entrepreneurship, also known as ACRE. This funding will allow them to double their production by installing a new shelling line, allowing them to meet demand by producing about 170 bushels a day.
They also plan to expand their team by adding four more workers.
"We have other farmers who would like to grow products for us and just let us add value to that product by shelling it. So we're probably gonna bring on more farmers to help grow. Once again, will stimulate the economy," said Johnson.
They'll begin installing the new shelling line next week. The company says this expansion will bring job opportunities to farmers and other Calhoun County producers.