Happy Dirt Sees Continued Strong Growth

Happy Dirt is a company on the rise. Previously known as Eastern Carolina Organics, the Durham, NC-based company is a produce-distribution firm that has seen tremendous growth in recent years.

After a rebrand in 2019, the company went from selling mostly locally grown items from North and South Carolina to more of a full lineup of products.

“That change allowed us to offer more products year-round to our customers,” said Pat Bayor, vice president of sales and purchasing for Happy Dirt. “The result of those changes has been year-over-year growth, around 30 percent, the past few years. We expect that growth to continue in the years ahead by working closely with our customers when it comes to their needs and our farms when it comes to crop planning.”

Pat Bayor, Vice President of Sales and Purchasing, Happy Dirt

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For example, Happy Dirt will work with larger customers on seasonal planning for items like sweet potatoes, greens, and commodity items.

Bayor describes Happy Dirt as a “diamond in the rough” company that has thousands of acres of organic farmland as well as 16 farmer-owners in the Carolinas and the East Coast. He added that Happy Dirt made significant progress during the pandemic, even as the cost of fuel and general cost of living has skyrocketed. Due to these increased costs, many larger grocery chains that primarily work with growers out west have shifted their thinking and have started to set their sights on the East Coast for more of their organic needs. 

“The result of those changes has been year-over-year growth, around 30 percent, the past few years. We expect that growth to continue in the years ahead by working closely with our customers when it comes to their needs and our farms when it comes to crop planning.” - Pat Bayor

“A lot of the growth locally has come from being able to execute and perform for our customers,” Bayor said. “And we’ll continue to do that through our stellar communication, supporting and offering as much local product from our farms that we can, expert quality control, and also through listening and planning with our customers to ensure we are meeting their needs.”

Cabbage field

Another benefit for Happy Dirt’s partners is the high quality of service they enjoy by working with an independent supplier.

“We have worked hard to develop programs that work for our growers and our customers,” Bayor said. “And we are really excited to continue to get our message out to the industry.” 

“A lot of the growth locally has come from being able to execute and perform for our customers.” - Pat Bayor

The company was founded by Sandi Kronick in 2004 and rebranded as Happy Dirt in 2019 (though the incorporation is still named Eastern Carolina Organics). It started out buying and selling local organic produce out of North Carolina.

“Sandy and the team had developed a strong local program and were becoming more of a year-round supplier, but it was still mostly local or regional,” Bayor said. “After the rebrand, a lot of the customers that we were working with were like, ‘Why aren’t you carrying Washington apples or California citrus?’ So it was really the customers who pushed us into becoming more of a full-service supplier.”

Happy Dirt organic sweet potatoes

Another key factor in Happy Dirt’s success is Kronick’s decision to offer ownership of the company to farmers. Currently, 16 farmers own approximately 40 percent of the company.

“We have farmers who are owners and farmers who sit on the board of directors. As you look around the industry, it’s not a very common model that you see out there,” Bayor said. “That also is a very exciting piece of what we can offer.”

“After the rebrand, a lot of the customers that we were working with were like, ‘Why aren’t you carrying Washington apples or California citrus?’ So it was really the customers who pushed us into becoming more of a full-service supplier.” - Pat Bayor

He further explained that the company uses a mixed model, including a farm-direct model for its largest customers and a local distribution arm of the company, which serves customers in North Carolina into Southern Virginia and parts of South Carolina.

Since the beginning, Happy Dirt has built successful relationships through communication and backing up what it says it will do.

Happy Dirt team

“For us, it’s literally that ability to pick up a phone and talk to one of our farmer-owners that really separates our ability to plan and create and build programs for customers versus just being a supplier,” Bayor said.