GREENSBORO, N.C. — Freshly ground peanut butter in small single-serve cups with a spoon. Are these samples at a local grocery store?
Nope. They were part of the "Got To Be NC” booth at the National Restaurant Association trade show, which took place in Chicago this week.
“As part of our Got To Be NC program, we support NC agriculture in so many ways and part of that is getting our products in front of people to get a nationwide audience,” said Sandy Stewart, Assistant NC Agriculture Commissioner.
North Carolina Agriculture is a $100 Billion industry.
From peanuts to sweet potatoes, Texas Pete hot sauce, and everything else in between.
“A big part of that is customers outside of North Carolina. It really is a global market and we're trying to help NC farmers and businesses participate in that global market,” said Stewart.
North Carolina's reach isn’t just national, it’s global.
There is a video from what's considered the largest food show on the planet. It's called Fruit Logistica and it's in Berlin. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture is there every year and they bring local farmers and businesses with them.
“From the Dept of Agriculture standpoint, we don't have the products to sell, but what we try to do is facilitate those business-to-business interactions. It's not straightforward to take peanuts from Bertie County to London, but we can help people figure out how to do that,” said Stewart.
Chances are you have a few North Carolina-made products in your pantry or fridge. Want to know what else is out there? Here’s the Got To Be NC website