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In the late 1970′s, the mushroom industry was largely dependent on the processing market. Mushroom growers nationwide were being severely injured by the influx of very inexpensive imported canned mushrooms. As a result, family-owned and operated mushroom farms that had been in existence for several generations were forced out of business. It was then, after 25 years as a compost supplier to most of these same mushroom farmers, our family decided to diversify our operations by purchasing one of Pennsylvania’s largest mushroom farms from the Clorox Corporation.
In 1983, with no previously arranged marketing contracts, South Mill was faced with the challenge of selling its crop of fresh mushrooms, which by the end of the first year totaled approximately 9,000,000 pounds. Initially, South Mill sold its mushrooms through local Kennett Square mushroom brokers. The need for regional growth and independence necessitated a change of strategy. It was then that our focus shifted from selling our product through brokers to selling directly into the retail, wholesale, foodservice and commercial processor industries. Under the newly created South Mill label, the company embarked upon the challenge of selling the production of its farms. Decades later, South Mill via its 24-hour, 7-days-a-week customer service, seamlessly supplies over 55 million pounds of mushrooms annually to expanded territories via our highly advanced logistics department complimented by our “team driven” refrigerated, air-ride tractor-trailer fleet equipped with the latest communication technology.
In 1989, the southwest markets were targeted for expansion. It was then that South Mill changed the way non-regionally produced mushrooms were sold. By creating the first of many company-owned and operated distribution facilities in strategically located major metropolitan areas, operations in those cities were able to deliver unparalleled service to regional retail and foodservice customers. Linking these cities to our existing distribution / logistics system, South Mill successfully “brought the farm to market”. In major metropolitan areas whose locations and demographics supported an ever-expanding customer base the concept of remote distribution facilities servicing the mushroom trade was successfully born. Our distribution facilities have a centralized sales office located in Dallas, Texas. Each facility is fully staffed with experienced produce distribution specialists to better serve the retail, wholesale, food service and processing venues in those specific regions.
South Mill is a vertically integrated company. We insure consistent quality and supply through continuous innovations in production, transportation, marketing and distribution and today service loyal customers in over 35 states. As a pacesetter in a fiercely competitive industry, South Mill has completed what was the first, and still the only indoor mushroom composting operation in the United States. Environmentally friendly and operationally efficient, this tunnel system composts mushroom substrate indoors under the controlled atmosphere of an entirely “closed loop” system. As a result of this cutting edge technology South Mill attains greater production capacity with a more consistent quality product, providing a critical supply advantage unprecedented in the industry.
South Mill is moving to become much more than just a quality mushroom supplier to our customers by expanding our logistics services, our cold storage services, and our portfolio of food products which now includes select products available 12 months a year from around the world. Kiwifruit, garlic (fresh and peeled), shallots (fresh and peeled), ginger, sun-dried tomatoes, as well as 20 varieties of dried Chile peppers make up our extensive product line. Through our extensive market experience, we encourage creative promotions with our customers and pledge to continuously introduce innovative trends and the best practices we observe in markets throughout the world. From the beginning, South Mill employees have grown the business into much more than just a mushroom company, an accomplishment and a level of dedication we are extremely grateful and proud of.
