Discovering NC Agriculture is a year-long series focusing on twelve N.C. grown, raised, caught, and made commodities. Tune in each month to see how an N.C. commodity is grown, harvested, packed for consumer use and more. Learn nutritional value, find fun recipes to try, hear from local chefs who use that product, and other unique commodity facts throughout the series. We look forward to helping you better understand some of our N.C. commodities and how they impact your everyday lives!
Tomatoes are an important and versatile crop for our state’s agriculture industry! From greenhouse grown tomatoes to field tomatoes, farmers across the state work hard to produce fresh tomatoes for customers, restaurants and others to enjoy. All American Produce, located in Garland, has been a major player in the tomato industry since 2020, growing over 100 acres of tomatoes each year.
William Augustine, Jr., President of All American Produce Company, is a fourth-generation farmer. Raised on a blueberry farm, William learned the ins-and-outs of the industry at a young age and quickly fell in love with agriculture. “I grew up learning at the hand of my father, who continues to farm with us to this day,” he said. “In 2001, we started looking to diversify the products that we offer, which is when I started looking at tomatoes.” Today, between 20 and 25 crops are grown each year at All American Produce, including tomatoes, blueberries, cucumbers, and broccoli.
As Italians, William and his family have always loved tomatoes. “Tomatoes are the foundation of many Italian dishes, like pasta sauces,” William said. “As someone who truly enjoys all varieties of tomatoes, I wanted to experiment with growing my own.” In 2014, William started with six greenhouses to grow Roma, Round and Grape tomatoes. Today, he operates 160 greenhouses, totaling 80 acres of greenhouse tomatoes, as well as 30-40 acres of field tomatoes. “All American Produce was a pioneer farm in North Carolina for the use of high tunnels in growing tomatoes,” William said. “Utilizing both high tunnels and our fields gives us the ability to have fresh tomatoes from May to November each year.” Although tomatoes are available just seven months out of the year, the All American Produce team never stops planning for tomato season.
Growing tomatoes is a year-round process for William and his team. “We start six months ahead of harvest season to ensure everything is planned correctly,” William said. “This means that we are starting to plan for the next tomato season before the current one is over.” All tomatoes grown at All American Produce are vine-ripe tomatoes, which helps maintain the color and flavor throughout the season and beyond. The full cycle of their tomatoes from planting to table is 120 days.
William and his team pick tomatoes once they turn color, ensuring they are ripe and ready to be taken off the vine. Once harvested, all tomatoes are brought to the warehouse on-site to be sorted and packed into a variety of products, including Pretty Girl Organic Tomatoes, Pretty Boy Organic Tomatoes, Grape Tomatoes and more. “With the high tunnels providing a controlled environment, we are able to harvest tomatoes longer without sacrificing the quality,” William said. “Our farm manager, Cale Tart, does an amazing job with this, as well as the quality of our other produce items, every year.” Tomatoes and other products from All American Produce Company can be found in a variety of restaurants and bars across the state, as well as many grocery store chains like Wegmans, Food Lion, Walmart, and Harris Teeter.
All American Produce is currently working on many exciting projects, including a brand revamp, to bring more customers and awareness to the farm. “We put a lot of thought and hard work into all of our products, so we want people to pick them up and fall in love with them,” said Virginia Torres, Marketing Director of All American Produce. “We know that once people try our products, they will fall in love with the quality and flavor. Getting them to invest is the first step.” Keep an eye out for new packaging and announcements on their website and social media pages!
Although Willaim enjoys tomatoes in a variety of ways, two of his favorites are pasta sauce and a fresh BLT. “We all touch a tomato every day of our life in some form,” he said. “That’s why we grow a lot of them at All American Produce because we know that people love them and use them consistently.” Not only are tomatoes rich in flavor, but also antioxidants that protect against depression and fight mood stabilization. We are so thankful to William and his team for all their hard work in the tomato industry. From trailblazing the way in high tunnel growth to the high quality of products they present today, they are a major player in the tomato industry that will continue to prove impactful for years to come!
