Spartanburg farmer to open a Pauline community grocery store this fall

Jacob Towe, owner of Jubilee Farms of Pauline, established his pasture-raised livestock farm in 2018.

During his first few years as a farmer, Towe, a regular at Hub City Farmers Market, quickly discovered that getting his products in front of consumers is difficult and time-consuming.

"One of the biggest hurdles for farmers is actually getting the product to market, especially for small farms, and being able to make a profit while selling their products at a fair price in a way that doesn't take up all of their time," Towe said.

This fall, the Pauline farmer aims to create another sales avenue for local farmers while addressing a need in his community by opening a locally-sourced grocery store.

To be considered a food desert, a rural area's closest grocery store must be more than 10 miles away; Pauline doesn't qualify with three of its closest grocery stores — the Food Lion in Roebuck, Walmart Neighborhood Market on Cedar Springs Road, and Ingles on South Pine Street — being 6.7, 6.8, and 7.7 miles away, respectively, or a 10-12 minute drive.

However, while the community isn't considered a food desert, residents still have a limited variety of foods, particularly healthy foods, available within the community. Some dry, canned, frozen and refrigerated items are available at the Dollar General and other convenience stores in Pauline.

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"There are all of one and a half other places (to get food in Pauline). We have a Dollar General, which is great and grand and wonderful, but I don't think that anybody ever accused Dollar General of carrying healthy options," Towe said. "There's not really any other options right now, so hopefully (the grocery store) will better serve the community."

The planned grocery store is an extension of one of the core beliefs of Jubilee Farms; namely, that quality food should be available to everyone.

The grocery store, which Towe said may be named Farmfare Local Grocery, will offer forest-raised pork, pasture-raised beef and chicken, and eggs from Jubilee Farms as well as products from other local farms and some kitchen staples.

"The goal of the store is for it to be a fully-fledged grocery store, not just a produce stand or meat market," Towe said. "I want it to be a place where people can come and actually do their shopping for the week and know that everything that they buy in the store was produced as local as possible and is as high quality as can be."

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The grocery store will be of benefit to not only Towe's farm but also to other local farmers who usually have to drive into the city or further to get a similar selling experience at a farmers' market. It will also allow access to fresh, locally produced food during the week for people who aren't able to visit farmers' markets over the weekend.

"It's an opportunity to bring consumers and producers together," Towe said.

The grocery store will be located at the intersection of Highways 56 and 215, across from Philadelphia Baptist Church (3119 SC-56).

Towe said he is currently in the process of officially leasing the storefront, which already bears a banner announcing the coming grocery store. The building will require some electrical and cosmetic work, Towe said but should be ready to open in early October.

"Right now, we're mostly just trying to get the word out. We're launching a website here in the next few days and social media along with that," Towe said.

Samantha Swann covers food and restaurants in Spartanburg County. She is a University of South Carolina Upstate and Greenville Technical College alumna. Contact her with your burning restaurant questions, recipes, and new dinner specials at sswann@shj.com or on Instagram at @sameatsspartanburg.  

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Jubilee Farms owner opening locally-sourced grocery in Pauline