Clemson University prides itself in its contribution to agriculture. Chip Carter followed alumni around campus to show us their impact in our new series “Clemson Reach.” Today, we learn about a business that has been operating its own fleet of delivery trucks since the 1920s.
Steve Francis’s grandfather started Francis Produce back in the late 1920s. His grandfather had a small fleet of trucks that went to Florida and brought back produce for Colonial Stores. This continued until the 1940s.
Now, Steven has a fleet of 51 trucks that are permitted to go to every state. Their customer base consists of two types of markets, either food service, such as hospitals, schools and small restaurants, or grocery stores.
According to Steven, “Clemson has helped us with research on crops. They’ve helped us with packaging supplies. They’ve helped us with consumer trends... They are a very viable part of this industry, not just in South Carolina but around the nation.”
Clemson has helped us....