![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sgamag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Chris-Paulk_slider_1-1024x857.jpg?resize=509%2C464\")
Though it does not rival peaches or blueberries as one of Georgia\u2019s predominant fruit crops, for southerners, there is a bit of nostalgia when it comes to muscadines. Many people have fond memories of picking the juicy sweet fruit straight from vines growing in backyard gardens to home canned muscadine jams and jellies.<\/p>\n
For Chris Paulk, there is a family connection to muscadines. When he returned to Wray, Georgia, in 2002, it was to continue a multi-generation legacy of muscadine farming that began with his grandfather, Jacob Paulk.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy grandfather was a pioneer in the muscadine industry in this area,\u201d said Paulk, who graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in mechanical engineering. \u201cHis family had farmed for generations, mostly row crops like cotton, peanuts, and tobacco.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jacob Paulk began to contemplate adding a fruit crop to the family\u2019s Irwin County farm in 1970.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe went to the local extension agent who suggested blueberries, blackberries, or muscadines, all of which grow well in Georgia\u2019s hot, humid climate,\u201d Paulk said. \u201cHe decided on muscadines and planted a few acres. It took three years for the first crop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, Paulk Vineyards is managed by two of Jacob Paulk\u2019s sons, Gary and J.W. Jr., and contains 650 acres of muscadine vines.<\/p>\n
In the early years, Paulk Vineyards focused on the distribution of fresh-market grapes. Muscadines are handpicked from July through September and shipped to wholesale markets up the east coast to New York and as far west as Texas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a couple of dimensions to our muscadine business,\u201d Paulk said. \u201cFirst, muscadines are the only native American grape and have a rich history in the south. The other side of the story is the health benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n
With assistance from a U.S. Department of Agriculture value-added grant in 2003 and a OneGeorgia Authority grant in 2006, Paulk worked with University of Georgia researchers to discover ways to utilize every part of the muscadine to foster the greatest health benefits.<\/p>\n
Paulk said an often overlooked aspect of the muscadine is the health benefit. \u201cMuscadines are the super fruit of the south; they are both tasty and contain unique health benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a grape, muscadines contain antioxidants that may slow or prevent many types of cancers, and they are considered heart healthy.<\/p>\n
\u201cMuscadines give you the health benefits of both a grape and a berry,\u201d Paulk said. \u201cThey are a type of grape, and when you consume them, they also behave like a berry. So you get the health benefits of both grapes and berries.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through almost five decades of muscadine production, Paulk Vineyards has established itself as a leading distributor of fresh muscadines to grocery wholesalers; however, Paulk wanted to create a line of value-added muscadine products.<\/p>\n
Paulk wanted to find a way to get more products from a muscadine by using all parts of the grape including the juice, pulp, skin, and seed.<\/p>\n
Two years after returning to the family farm, Paulk established the Muscadine Products Corporation (MPC) to develop muscadine juices, jellies, and dietary supplements, which are made from the skins and seeds of the grape.<\/p>\n
Distributed under the Paulk\u2019s Pride label, the purple and white muscadine juice received the prestigious \u201cFlavor of Georgia\u201d recognition in 2015 and 2016.<\/p>\n
Paulk\u2019s Pride products continue to be a family-run operation, with Paulk\u2019s wife, Jorjanne, overseeing production of the jellies, which are made in small batches to ensure the highest quality and flavorful taste.<\/p>\n
Paulk explained that after the handpicked grapes are distributed to the grocery store, the next step involves using a machine to harvest grapes that are used to make the juice, wine, and jelly products.<\/p>\n
Within the 25,000-square-foot MPC facility, located at Paulk Vineyards, the process begins to separate the juice from the seeds and skins.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sgamag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Paulk-Pride_horizontal-1024x577.jpg?resize=444%2C250\")
\u201cAfter the juice is pressed, we process the seeds and skins into dietary supplements,\u201d Paulk said. \u201cI have ended up with an ingredients business. I need the skins and seeds to make the dietary supplements, so first I make the juice and wine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paulk\u2019s Pride production of muscadine wine is the company\u2019s latest value-added venture. Paulk Vineyards has been supporting the wine industry for years through the sale of muscadines to wineries in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have put up 2,000 gallons each of red and white wine for the first year,\u201d Paulk said. \u201cThis will give us about 20,000 bottles.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to his work with MPC and Paulk Vineyards, Paulk serves on the Irwin County Board of Commissioners and the Irwin County Hospital Authority, and he is a member of the Ocilla Rotary Club.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Though it does not rival peaches or blueberries as one of Georgia\u2019s predominant fruit crops, for southerners, there is a bit of nostalgia when it comes to muscadines. Many people have fond memories of picking the juicy sweet fruit straight from vines growing in backyard gardens to home canned muscadine jams and jellies. For Chris […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archive"],"yoast_head":"\n