Food City is well-known for their locally grown produce initiative. Their farm to table partnership with local growers provides their valued customers with fresh-from-the-field fruits and vegetables, many of which are delivered the same day they’re picked. What began over twenty years ago with a small number of items and a handful of area farmers has grown into a multi-million-dollar operation. Today, Food City purchases over $5 million annually in locally grown produce. 

“We pride ourselves in selecting the best possible products for our customers,” says Steven C. Smith, Food City president and chief executive officer. “Our local farms are known for producing some of the finest produce in the country. Buying local provides our customers with the freshest produce possible, while supporting our local economies. In many instances, our locally grown items arrive the same day they are picked. It simply doesn’t get any fresher than that”.

In 2007, Food City created the Wayne Scott Memorial Grower of the Year Award. The award is named in honor of Unicoi County farmer Wayne Scott, one of the first to partner with the retail supermarket chain. Wayne Scott’s leadership, passion for the business and dedication to delivering the “best produce possible” are just a few of the reasons for his tremendous success. The award recognizes one outstanding local grower each year. 

Stratton Farms of Rutledge, TN was named this year’s award recipient. Luke Stratton is a fourth-generation farmer, cultivating the same land where his great grandfather planted the first crop. He began working on the farm at a young age, packing tomatoes in bushel baskets, going to market with his family, and cutting and hanging tobacco.  As a young boy, Stratton accompanied his father and grandfather to deliver tomatoes to small chain stores. After graduating high school, Stratton accepted an opportunity to partner with his mother and father in their thriving business, growing different varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, and beans. Stratton’s father taught him the importance of personally delivering products to the stores, setting displays, and talking with store associates and customers about their freshly hand-picked and packed produce. 

Food City is proud to have partnered with Stratton Farms for the past ten years. A true family business, Luke and his wife, Missy proudly continue the legacy began by his parents, Lillard and Emma. Stratton is the proud father of two daughters, Maranda and McKenzie and two sons, Logan and Reggie. Luke’s sons are now following in his footsteps. They began working full-time on the farm in middle school and are continuing the family tradition - helping with store deliveries, interacting with customers and stores associates, and sharing their passion for farming.

Food City purchases produce from a number of local farms, including those in Grainger, Blount, Hawkins, Jefferson, and Sullivan counties in Tennessee and Scott and Carroll counties in Virginia and is the exclusive outlet for a number of them.

“We enjoy a great partnership with a number of local farms. We’re proud to be the exclusive retail outlet for a number of them and of course our customers love the added convenience,” says Joe Greene, vice president of produce operations for Food City.

Food City purchases a wide variety of items from local growers, including tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, cabbage, half runner beans, okra, peppers, squash, gourds, pumpkins, cantaloupes, watermelons, blackberries, strawberries, pears, raspberries, select organic produce and more. 

Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores (Food City’s parent company) operates 158 retail outlets throughout southeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, east Tennessee, north Georgia, and Alabama.