Catesa Farms keeps it fresh

When George McDonald’s two daughters were still in middle school, he made a deal with them. If they would help raise and sell strawberries on the family’s farm, they could keep the profits.

The only catch was they had to be there on the day of the sale. “If both girls were there, they got to split the money,” George says. “If only one was there, she got to keep it all. If neither of the girls showed, Daddy got to keep all the money.”

There were a few no-shows early on. But as the little half-acre strawberry patch on Catesa Farms grew so did the the profits, and both girls began to see the benefit of making it to the field on payday. “I was doing good there for a while,” George says with a laugh. “Then they got older, the strawberry field got bigger, and it didn’t work out for me as much.”

Family Tradition

Today, the family-owned-and-operated farm grows and sells 15 acres of strawberries, as well as hundreds more acres of corn, milo — a type of sorghum — soybeans, wheat and watermelons. They sell their always-fresh, high-quality produce to retailers all the way into Kentucky and as far south as Alabama.

George is the fourth generation of his family to run the Riddleton-based farm, which his great-grandfather started on 257 acres in 1927. Since then, the farm has grown to thousands of acres spread out over six counties.

“We’re always looking at the next thing,” George says. “We’re always keeping an open mind, looking at the market and trying to figure out what’s next. Our farming operation is a family tradition, and it’s a family heritage, but first and foremost, it’s a business.”

Fresh First

Catesa Farms was named long ago by mashing up the names of George’s grandfather, Carmen, his grandmother, Temple, and his father, Sam. “It’s the name that’s hard to remember, then hard to forget,” George says. “So, we make sure our brand is on the things we sell, like our watermelons. People have learned to associate our name with fresh, quality produce.”

When he says fresh, he means it. George remembers walking into a large, chain retail outlet a few years ago and seeing a sign that said, “Fresh local berries.” “I was surprised, because I thought I knew all the farms in the area, in the state, even,” he says. “I didn’t know of one that provided that particular store with produce. When I looked at the labels on the fruit, it said Salinas, California.”

Even if the produce wasn’t labeled, George could’ve told anyone standing there it wasn’t fresh. “When I bring a flat of strawberries into a room, you can smell them,” he says. “You can open them up and they’re red, not white, like the ones that have been shipped across the country. Fresh makes a difference.”

Catesa Farms’ products go from the farm to the truck and into the stores in a matter of hours. “What that means for a consumer is that you can pick up a watermelon with our label on it, and it was very likely in the field the day before,” he says.

Socially Speaking

Another way George’s employees promote the brand is through the Catesa Farms social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. All of the accounts are run primarily by farm manager Kyle Cato, with help from George’s daughter, Sarah Owen.

The farm’s social media accounts have grown in popularity and do everything from educate readers on agricultural issues to alert them when the farm is ready to sell its strawberries.

There’s room for some fun, too. A recent video posted by the @catesafarms TikTok account panned over giant tractors and other farm equipment while playing the Brooks & Dunn song “Only in America.” It captured more than 19,000 views. George says that some ag-related businesses have even started referring to Catesa as influencers in their world.

“Having fiber broadband has really helped our business in so many ways,” George says. “It allows us to have video meetings with different boards across the state and so many other things you don’t always think of on a farm. It’s been able to change how we do business. That’s all thanks to NCTC for installing fiber.”

But with all the successes at Catesa Farms, George says he’s probably most proud of the environment the family has built at their workplace. “Many of our employees will tell you they haven’t worked a day yet,” he says. “Anybody can buy land, buy equipment, plant a crop and harvest it. We feel like we’ve created a culture that distinguishes itself.”

Look for the Label

Catesa Farms is at 780 Dixon Springs Highway in Riddleton. The best way to keep up with Catesa Farms and all its fresh, quality products is to like and follow the Catesa Farms LLC Facebook and Instagram pages and @catesafarms on TikTok.