Food City is well-known for their locally grown produce initiative. Through a partnership with local farmers, the retail supermarket chain offer a variety of fresh-from-the-farm fruits and vegetables during local growing seasons. Many items are delivered the same day they are picked.  What began over ten years ago with a small number of items and a handful of area farmers has now grown into a multi-million-dollar operation. Today, Food City purchases over $5,000,000 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 products 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 grower each year.  

David Mann of Mann Farms in Fort Blackmore, VA was recently named the 2021 Wayne Scott Memorial Grower of the Year. Food City has partnered with Mann Farms for more than 20 years. David Mann has a passion for growing quality produce and works hard to continue to expand his business. He comes from a long line of Fort Blackmore, VA farmers, dating back to 1842. Mann purchased his first farm in 1983 and began as a dairy farmer, but later transitioned to tobacco. In 1992, he produced his first crop of tomatoes and later added additional crops and began raising cattle. Mann Farms supplies area Food City locations with cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, peppers, a variety of tomatoes, and half runner beans, as well as locally grown strawberries. He and his lovely wife, Judy feel blessed to make their living farming and are especially thankful that Mann’s parents Cecil, who is now 101 years young and Charlotte a young lady of 94 have been able to share in their success, along with their 2 daughters and 5 grandchildren. Mann Farms becomes the first two-time award winner, as they were the first local grower to receive the coveted award back in 2009.

Food City purchases produce from a number of local farms, including those in Grainger, Blount, Hawkins, Unicoi, Jefferson, and Sullivan counties in Tennessee; Scott and Carroll counties and through Appalachian Harvest co-op for locally grown organics from the growers in Scott County, Virginia. 

“We enjoy a great partnership with a variety of local farms,” comments Bucky Slagle, director of produce operations for Food City. “And we are proud to be the exclusive retail outlet for a number of them and of course our customers love the added convenience,” says Slagle.

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 134 retail outlets throughout southeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, east Tennessee, north Georgia, and soon to be Alabama. 

PICTURED: RYAN ELLISON, FOOD CITY CATEGORY MANAGER AND DAVID MANN