May 2020 - 8

FROZEN
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should look, " she said. For instance,
cantaloupe has the size and weight
requirements in addition to being ripe.
Before the taping of the episode, Frozen
Farmer had reached a pivotal point in
the business, securing some distribution
into Giant Foods grocery stores - which
they had a previous relationship with for
selling vegetables both via direct store
delivery and central distribution. But they
had an opportunity to further expand the
ice cream into all of Giant's 164 stores.
The money from Shark Tank helped
them scale up their business. They have
used, and continue to use co-packers to
meet the demand for the product.
" We're getting ready to come into
strawberry season now and we'll be
capping and picking and storing just as
quickly as we can all strawberry season to
bring us as far into the fall and winter as
we can, but obviously we have to source
from other places when we're in the offseason, "
she said.
While they have their own produce
packing facility and ice cream creamery,
they're looking for some help processing the
produce for the coming season, she said.
Her pitch on Shark Tank highlighted
a common struggle for growers: the
food waste that's associated with
" misfit " produce that's nutritious while
unmarketable because of its appearance.
Kevin Evans, his wife Katey, her mother Jo Ellen Algier and
Shark Tank investor Lori Greiner (not pictured) are partners
in the Frozen Farmer. Photo: The Frozen Farmer
Katey Evans' Shark Tank presentation
centered on the theme that appearances
can be deceiving. Although even before
meeting her husband she had worked on
farms, as a former beauty queen, " I don't
look like a stereotypical farmer, " she said.
Her presentation hinged on a big reveal
where she spun around a traditional
barn-shaped structure to show the ice
cream products of Frozen Farmer. At
the same time, the gown and tiara she
was wearing broke away to show she was
wearing overalls.
" More than 20% of the fruits and veggies
in America don't make it off the farm
because they aren't perfect enough for the
grocery store shelves, resulting in billions of
Katey Evans' presentation on Shark Tank centered on the theme that
appearances can be deceiving. Photo: ABC/Eric McCandless
pounds of waste annually, " she said. " We're
taking the concept of 'farm to table' to the
next level, with a product that offers a way
to reduce food waste directly at the farm
level by using the imperfect fruit we grow
for our line of frozen confections. "
The carefully-honed pitch - and the
taste of the ice cream - all played well
with " Shark " investor Greiner.
" These ice creams are the best I've ever
had in my entire life, " Greiner said in the
episode. " I think that your product is
fantastic. You have something I think is
blue ribbon. "
Katey Evans' marketing efforts to
appear on Shark Tank - which spanned
over about 10 months from casting to
shooting - have paid off. Giant Foods
Frozen Farmer's fruit flavors including
strawberry sorbet and orange creamsicle
" nice cream, " along with traditional
favorites like chocolate, vanilla, butter
pecan and cake batter confetti are in all of
its stores across the country.
Marketing can be difficult for growers -
" it's really hard to market your business from
behind the wheel of a tractor, " she said - but
she still recommends growers get involved
with social media and other marketing
efforts to educate consumers. Some farms
may want to designate a staff member to
head up such efforts. The results are worth it.
" Sometimes, you've got to take the risk, "
Evans said. VGN
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8 | VegetableGrowersNews.com
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May 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2020
