Campbell Cox, owner of Carolina Rice Plantation in Darlington, stands in one of his rice fields. (Photo/Carolina Rice Plantation)

By Shelia Watson
Contributing Writer

Campbell Cox began farming rice as a lark. He began 10 years ago with 10 acres just to see if he and his partners could produce the crop. They harvested enough to give away as Christmas gifts to family and friends.

“The thing is, they wanted more, so it started taking off,” said Cox, owner of Carolina Plantation Rice in Darlington. Now rice is how he is prospering, albeit at a gradual pace. “We grow gourmet-type rice. It’s a special product for a specialty market.”

The farm has increased volume by about 25% every year. This year Cox planted 100 acres, which produced 250,000 pounds of saleable crop.

Cox is one of tens of thousands of South Carolinians making a living by digging in the dirt. Some 90% of the state’s farms are owned by individuals or families rather than by corporations, and many of them produce a single crop using niche marketing to sell it. The concept, known as boutique agriculture, is often rooted in historical locale with production of such indigenous crops as rice, tea, wine, pecans, gingko and flour.

“With these farms, they bring their heritage and culture to the forefront,” said Becky Walton, director of public information for the S.C. Department of Agriculture. Rice is a good example of boutique agriculture that taps into its Southern roots, which Walton said “brings back our culture from the early days. Rice was one of South Carolina’s most important crops and was part of how we prospered as a new colony.”

Carolina Plantation Rice is doing extremely well and sells out of its product every year. The rice is marketed wholesale to upscale restaurants and food stores across the state. The company ships orders all over the United States, with about 70% of the retail orders coming via its Web site.

“We increase the acreage as the market share increases. That’s one of the reasons we don’t want to plant too much. We won’t sell rice that’s over a year old. The taste, smell and quality, that’s where it’s at. If we can produce enough to sell, and sell all we produce, then we consider that we’re doing well,” Cox said.

“A few years ago we wouldn’t have been able to do what we’re doing now. The Internet put us on the same footing with downtown boutique-type shops.”

The company does little advertising besides the occasional taste testing.

“We have an attractive cotton cloth bag with our story on it that makes a great gift,” he said. “Someone will give one to a friend, maybe someone on the West Coast, and then they want to send one to another friend. It’s snowballed like that. We have something of a cult following, to the point where most of the people ordering are repeat customers with standing orders.”

That such a marketing strategy is successful does not surprise the state Agriculture Department. The marketing appeal for products such as these underscores the average buyer’s propensity for the unusual, Walton said.

“In the grand scheme of things, these ‘boutique ag’ farms bring a uniqueness to South Carolina,” she said. “People like unique products.”

The muscadine wine produced at Irvin-House Vineyards on Wadmalaw Island certainly fits the “boutique ag” criteria of unique and historic.

The muscadine is the only grape that will grow in the majority of this state’s climate, and it grows abundantly — a fact the earlier settlers in the state noticed long ago. Jim and Ann Irvin, owners of the vineyard, point out that the first wines on this continent were made from the muscadine.

The Irvins purchased about 12 acres and planted the vines in 2001. Although the muscadine comes in several breeds, the Irvins chose two purple and two white grapes with an initial order of 2,600 “bare root” vines.

Marketing efforts tap into the Charleston talent pool with five Charleston artists’ designs on the labels of each of the five wines. The vineyard also hosts wine tastings every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Boutique ag farms are able to take advantage of a branding campaign the state Agriculture Department has implemented to assist small companies in getting their products to market.
Jackie Moore heads up the South Carolina Specialty Food Products, which works in conjunction with the state Agriculture Department to oversee the Certified S.C. Grown campaign.

She said the program is another marketing strategy the boutique ag farms can use to help sell products.

“They’ll put the label on their product so you can see it’s South Carolina-grown or a South Carolina product, and people like to buy those products because they know they’re local,” said Moore. “Members can use the logo and in their advertising. So far the organization has about 300 members, and it’s going very well.”

Moore explained that the campaign creates an emotional tie-in, while educating the public and stimulating interest in locally grown products.

“It helps bring a shift in the public’s lifestyle buying decisions,” she said.

The campaign began with fruits and vegetables, and over the next three years, SCDA will promote all South Carolina agricultural and manufactured goods, from shrimp and soybeans to mayonnaise and forestry products. The plan, Moore said, is eventually to market the products aggressively to other states in the region and even overseas.

“We’ve come a long way in a few short months, but it’s definitely working,” said Moore. “This is a great way to get the boutique ag products to a wider audience.”