Kercher's Sunrise Orchards in Goshen is just one of the Indiana farms currently selling a lot more apples and other produce under a more aggressive campaign to market food raised by Hoosier growers.
The success is from "Indiana Grown,'' an initiative started in 2012 by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.
The program didn't really take off, though, until the past year or so when state funding for the very first time was tapped to jump start what had been a nickle and dime operation.
"It's had a very good impact on our business,'' said Bill Kercher, a fifth generation member of the family-owned 700-acre farm started 94 years ago.
"We have seen success across the board and in some cases wild success,'' said Ted McKinney, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, which designed and operates the program.
Sales of apples to one of the retailers that carries Kercher's Sunrise Orchards products have climbed a whopping 356 percent since 2013, and other noticeable increases have been notched in sales of apples and other produce like sweet corn at some of the other seven retailers in Indiana that offer their products, said Kercher.
According to ISDA, the statewide initiative now includes more than 500 members, adding approximately one member per day with more than 38 business partners consisting of distributors, farmers markets and retailers, such as Marsh, Kroger and Market District.
Besides retailers agreeing to carry the products, other major successes include growers big and small taking part.
He believes several more retailers will eventually be added to carry Indiana Grown produce as well as restaurants, breweries and other commercial operations that serve food.
Within the past year, Indiana Grown has also participated in 11 major events to help raise awareness about the initiative.
A new program named Indiana Grown Homegrown by Heroes, teaming up with a national organization to support military veterans, has also been launched under the same initiative.
Other growers have reaped great results, including Evansville-based Aficionado Farms, which has opened at least three new greenhouses since joining Indiana Grown to help stay in business year-round, according to ISDA officials.
Fort Wayne-based Best Boy has experienced a 1,300 percent increase in the number of stores selling its products since becoming a member of Indiana Grown.
Helping to distinguish Indiana grown produce is a logo placed on the product in stores, designating it as Hoosier grown.
Indiana Grown uses four variations of its logo which are:
• 100 percent Indiana—Products within this category must be grown in Indiana, all ingredients must come from Indiana and all packaging must be done within the state.
• Prepared in Indiana—Product ingredients can be sourced from anywhere, but 100 percent of the production must be done in Indiana.
• Partner—To be an Indiana Grown partner, a company or institution must assist in marketing Indiana grown products and members.
• Indiana Grown—This category applies to all other Indiana Grown members, such as individuals.
Kercher said the logos along with Indiana grown products being singled out in specific areas of stores allows customers preferring locally raised foods with less road miles on them from delivery to know more about their food and exactly where to get to get it.
Kercher said he and other representatives of his farm have also spoken to customers in stores to further educate and promote the movement, which has grown enough to not be as dependent on state funding.
Indiana Grown has also gone to places like the Indiana State Fair, where booths are set up to allow for sampling of products.
"It's really becoming a market-driven system,'' said Kercher, whose farm also grows pumpkins, zucchini, yellow squash and other produce like cucumbers and peppers.
McKinney said no new money was allocated for the program.
Instead, existing funds were redirected to Indiana Grown, giving it the ability to have full-time staff members and do a lot more promotion, factors that have made a very noticeable difference in the results being obtained, he said.
"It's been essential. We're lean and mean,'' said McKinney.
Long term, McKinney said he also envisions other non-food products grown in Indiana, like "hardwoods'' being added to the effort.
"Consumers, for many reasons, are asking for more locally grown product and we would like to be able to help meet that need so the degree in which we can bridge the two and make it easier for both producers and retailers, or whoever buys that product, then I think that is offering a great service,'' said McKinney.