Four Georgia Farms Pivot Operations to Weather the COVID-19 Pandemic

Howard Berk, co-founder of Ellijay Mushrooms. (Photo courtesy of Ellijay Mushrooms)

Ellijay Mushrooms of Ellijay, Georgia  

When Howard Berk, co-founder of Ellijay Mushrooms, was accepted as a Georgia Organics Farm to Restaurant Farmer Cohort member in late February, he was ready and excited to build new partnerships and expand current partnerships with restaurants and wholesale around North Georgia. Of course, by early March, Howard was feeling nervous about his plan to expand to more restaurant sales. Through the Georgia Organics programs, Food Fight GA and Mid-Week Pop Up Market, Howard was able to continue selling his products to restaurants as well as expanding into a retail avenue. Building an online store for folks to place orders was a first crucial step to pivoting his business. In addition to the Georgia Organics COVID relief programs that Howard took part in, he also came up with a new recyclable packaging solution so he could safely explore the opportunity to sell his products to larger retailers. Through this new mushroom box that he created, he was able to sell mushrooms through The Common Market’s partnership with the USDA on their Farmers to Families Food Box program to distribute 15,000 boxes of food throughout Georgia and Alabama. In addition to these new markets, mostly based in subsidized programs to help feed the community, Howard developed new relationships with chefs feeding frontline workers. He has been able to donate nutritious mushrooms to the chefs for frontline feeding programs, allowing our most essential workers to get crucial nutrients while they work long and hard days. You can find Ellijay Mushrooms at the Georgia Organics Mid-Week Pop Up Market on Wednesdays, located at Wrecking Bar Brewpub in Atlanta by pre-ordering between Friday morning and Sunday night every week.