14 S G M A G A Z I N E | FA L L 2 0 1 7 B U S I N E S S + C U LT U R E 15 David Corbett and Brandi Corbett Hobby, South Georgia Produce Brian Corbett, daughter Brandi Corbett Hobby, and son-in- law Jason Tyrone. The Corbetts’ farm has more than 900 acres of bell peppers, specialty peppers, cucumbers, green zucchini squash, yellow squash, eggplants, and green beans that are all grown and harvested during spring and summer. In 1993, the family opened South Georgia Produce, a warehousing and packaging facility that ships fresh produce to U.S. markets. After earning a business degree from Valdosta State University, Hobby said she didn’t plan on entering the family business. “I grew up working on the farm,” Hobby said, “and after college, I worked for a while and then came back when they needed a sales person.” Hobby’s primary focus is checking the daily inventory status and delivery schedules to get the vegetable to the distributors as fast as possible. “I call customers all over the U.S. and tell them what produce we have available,” Hobby explained, “and then depending on their need, we start shipping.” 14 S G M A G A Z I N E | FA L L 2 0 1 7 B U S I N E S S + C U LT U R E 15 Hobby said knowing what other states are shipping and when is an important part of her job. “In the spring it’s Mexico and then South Florida,” Hobby explained, “and once they stop selling, then we start (in Georgia) and then it moves to North Carolina.” With the mild winter in South Georgia, Hobby said the spring season is the busiest. “We have to compete with Mexico and South Florida in the spring,” she said, “but when you get into the fall, there is a lot of produce grown in Canada.” Hobby said most people, even in South Georgia, don’t realize the economic value that farming brings to the state and region. “Most people think we are selling produce on a small scale, mostly local,” she said, “but we are selling to large grocery store chains, and then they are sending to individual stores across the country.” TOP 10 GEORGIA COUNTIES TOTAL VEGETABLE VALUE Colquitt $175 MILLION Echols $169 MILLION Decatur $112 MILLION Tattnall $ 84 MILLION Tift $ 82 MILLION Toombs $ 73 MILLION Brooks $ 56 MILLION Mitchell $ 35 MILLION Lowndes $ 25 MILLION Grady $ 23 MILLION Brian Corbett and Jason Tyrone, South Georgia Produce According to the 2015 Georgia Farm Gate Value Report.