Gullah Farmers Cooperative thanks Beaufort County council, cites school contract and new processing capacity

Vernita Doerr, executive director of the Gullah Farmers Cooperative, thanked Beaufort County council members during the caucus meeting and said the cooperative has signed a contract with the Beaufort County School Board to sell produce for school meals. "We have signed a contract with Beaufort County School Board so that they could buy our produce so that our children can have some of the wonderful, delicious, healthy produce," Doerr said.

Doerr told council that the cooperative has wholesalers buying its produce and is "almost totally self sufficient," and that the organization recently renovated property donated by the council. The cooperative also described a new processing room with equipment to "cut and chop" vegetables; Doerr said the facility could provide processing services for other buyers as well as the school district.

The cooperative said about 17 farmers currently participate, ranging from small growers to larger operations such as Barefoot Farms. A cooperative representative said the goal is for all farmers to be GAP certified and that produce not meeting standards is removed and refrigerated immediately.

The presentation included a brief question-and-answer exchange with council members and the cooperative left baskets of produce as a token of appreciation. Doerr framed the cooperative’s work as rooted in Beaufort: she described herself as "a native Beaufortonian" and said the project supports local farmers and students.

Council did not take action on the presentation; the cooperative’s remarks were given for council information and acknowledgment.