Is This THE Perfect Peach?
Titan Farms in South Carolina's Old 96 District grows more (and tastier) peaches than Georgia. Here's how they bring the most perfect peaches to your grocery stores each summer.
Titan Farms in South Carolinaβs Old 96 DistrictΒ produces more peaches than the entire state of Georgia. But more impressive than the number of peaches is their quality. StyleBlueprintβs founder and CEO, Liza Graves, received some Titan peaches last summer and noticed a recurring reaction as she shared them with friends. βWow,β theyβd say. βThis might just be the most perfect peach Iβve ever tasted.β
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, Titanβs trees are tended to with hands-on care. Chef Sean Wight has known Titan Farmsβ 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 countyβs famed peach growers. Theyβve 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.
βIβve watched Chal go from being in the fields doing general farm work to growing Titan into the business he has now. And heβs never lost his touch on the farm,β Sean says. βThatβs why their produce is so good β peaches specifically β because heβs still rooted in fundamental farming practices and touches his crops.β
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. βWe spend the extra dollar to be certain that we manage the health of each of our over 509,000 peach trees,β Lori Anne adds. βThis ensures that the safest, best-tasting peaches go from our orchards to the market to your table.β
Perfect Peach Ingredient 2: The Weather on βThe Ridgeβ
Titan Farms is situated on βThe Ridgeβ in western South Carolina. Edgefield County is chock-full of vibrant small towns, outdoor adventure, and fabulous culinary spots. Itβs also home to some of the most ideal conditions for producing peaches. βWe have the perfect blend of rich, acidic soils proven to energize natural sugars,β Lori Anne says.
βAnd 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,β she adds.
βThe Ridge has its own microclimate that makes it perfect for growing peaches,β Sean adds, βItβs up at a higher point that lends itself to being less susceptible to the early frost.β
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 Titanβs 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.
βTheyβve always taken great care of their people,β Sean adds. βThey 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 whoβs been with me for 12 or 13 years.β
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.
βTheyβre obsessed with quality,β Sean adds with a laugh. βTo get to that point, the peaches run through a machine that measures the fruitβs Brix level (sugar content). It makes it easy for me to highlight their stuff because I know it will be sweet, and I donβt have to do a lot to manipulate the product.β
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. βChalmers 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,β 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.Β Bring the fruit to your nose and give it a good sniff. A ripe one should have a bright, bold aroma thatβs sweet, fragrant, fruity, and a little floral.
- Itβs 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.
- Itβs slightly soft. If a peach is firm to the touch, itβs not ready. Wait until it has a little βgive,β especially near the end of the stem.
- Itβs the correct shape. A peach becomes more plump and rounder as it ripens.
βTitan Farms is fully committed to growing and packing the highest quality peaches and vegetables today, tomorrow, and for MANY years to come,β Lori Anne says. βAnd we are proud that South Carolina is known as the home of the βtastier peach!'β
Thanks for chatting, Sean and Lori Anne!
This article is sponsored by theΒ Old 96 District Tourism Commission.
Zoe Yarborough
Zoe is a StyleBlueprint staff writer, Charlotte native, Washington & Lee graduate, and Nashville transplant of eleven years. She teaches Pilates, helps manage recording artists, and likes to "research" Germantown's food scene.