Titan Farms in South Carolina’s Old 96 District produces more peaches than the entire state of Georgia. But more impressive than the number of peaches is their quality. StyleBlueprint’s founder and CEO, Liza Graves, received some Titan peaches last summer and noticed a recurring reaction as she shared them with friends. “Wow,” they’d say. “This might just be the most perfect peach I’ve ever tasted.”
From there, we were on a mission to discover how and why Titan peaches are so good.
Perfect Peach Ingredient 1: Hands-on Farming Practicing
From planting a peach tree to picking the fruit, Titan’s trees are tended to with hands-on care. Chef Sean Wight has known Titan Farms’ owners Chalmers and Lori Anne Carr for over 25 years. Sean opened Old Edgefield Grill in Edgefield, SC, in 1999, and it was through that restaurant that he met the county’s famed peach growers. They’ve grown side-by-side as Sean built up a successful restaurant group, Frog Hollow Hospitality, in nearby Augusta, GA, and the Carrs surpassed the entire state of Georgia in peach volume.
“I’ve watched Chal go from being in the fields doing general farm work to growing Titan into the business he has now. And he’s never lost his touch on the farm,” Sean says. “That’s why their produce is so good — peaches specifically — because he’s still rooted in fundamental farming practices and touches his crops.”
From pruning and managing pests to properly pollinating and handpicking at peak ripeness, the trees are touched three to five times before the fruit is picked. “We spend the extra dollar to be certain that we manage the health of each of our over 509,000 peach trees,” Lori Anne adds. “This ensures that the safest, best-tasting peaches go from our orchards to the market to your table.”
Perfect Peach Ingredient 2: The Weather on “The Ridge”
Titan Farms is situated on “The Ridge” in western South Carolina. Edgefield County is chock-full of vibrant small towns, outdoor adventure, and fabulous culinary spots. It’s also home to some of the most ideal conditions for producing peaches. “We have the perfect blend of rich, acidic soils proven to energize natural sugars,” Lori Anne says.
“And humid 70-degree South Carolina summer nights promote ripening on the tree so that Titan Farms can provide a piece of fruit that is the closest possible to a truly tree-ripened peach,” she adds.
“The Ridge has its own microclimate that makes it perfect for growing peaches,” Sean adds, “It’s up at a higher point that lends itself to being less susceptible to the early frost.”
Perfect Peach Ingredient 3: The Titan Family
Ensuring 6,000 acres of more than half a million peach trees receive meticulous TLC takes a village. From the Carrs all the way to the roots of Titan’s picking, sorting, and packaging teams, the people are a massive part of what makes the perfect peach. Titan is proud to employ and house hundreds of H-2A workers each summer, who arrive with passports and visas. It says a lot that 98% return for a future season.
“They’ve always taken great care of their people,” Sean adds. “They have people who have been with them since they got started. It really does make the end product better, just like it does when I have a chef who’s been with me for 12 or 13 years.”
Perfect Peach Ingredient 4: Innovation & Technology
To ensure every peach that lands in a box or bag meets the mark, the Titan team has outfitted the farm with cutting-edge equipment that handles post-harvest quality control. Their state-of-the-art method uses photo imaging and other technology that gently handles fruit and accurately sorts by size and color.
“They’re obsessed with quality,” Sean adds with a laugh. “To get to that point, the peaches run through a machine that measures the fruit’s Brix level (sugar content). It makes it easy for me to highlight their stuff because I know it will be sweet, and I don’t have to do a lot to manipulate the product.”
Perfect Peach Ingredient 5: Education & Transparency
Titan Farms is all about educating everyone on how to handle and buy peaches and when to know when one is perfectly ripe. From farm staff to chefs to retailers receiving the shipments and displaying them in your grocery stores to you, the hungry peach lover ready to bite in, Titan Farms is all about transparency.
This graciousness extends to many local businesses in the Old 96 District and beyond. “Chalmers tells me about and sends me new seeds to plant in my garden, and I know I can call on Titan for the perfect produce to serve on my menus,” Sean says.
As we excitedly prepare for peach season to commence, Lori Anne shared four steps to knowing when a peach is ripe and ready:
- It has a sweet smell. Bring the fruit to your nose and give it a good sniff. A ripe one should have a bright, bold aroma that’s sweet, fragrant, fruity, and a little floral.
- It’s the right color. A ripe peach has a vibrant, deep background color. Depending on the variety, this may be a rich yellow, orange, or red.
- It’s slightly soft. If a peach is firm to the touch, it’s not ready. Wait until it has a little “give,” especially near the end of the stem.
- It’s the correct shape. A peach becomes more plump and rounder as it ripens.
“Titan Farms is fully committed to growing and packing the highest quality peaches and vegetables today, tomorrow, and for MANY years to come,” Lori Anne says. “And we are proud that South Carolina is known as the home of the ‘tastier peach!'”
Thanks for chatting, Sean and Lori Anne!
This article is sponsored by the Old 96 District Tourism Commission.
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