Accessible Produce Comes to Statesville

By Candace Lagerhausen

2024 Update - Janco Community Farms is no longer in business. 

Janco Community Farms is working to solve local food accessibility issues. “It’s the brainchild of a long-standing passion," said Christina Benton, Owner & Chief Farmer of Janco Community Farms. Christina had been growing vegetables in her own backyard for years, so when COVID struck and the need for healthy, accessible food was exposed, she knew she could help. After gaining farmland in Statesville, Christina found that getting the food was still an issue for many people. “We noticed that as much as people wanted the produce, access and coming to get it was a problem," she said. That’s when she had the idea to take the business mobile by gutting an old shuttle bus and creating a “mobile produce stand."

Janco Community Farms now has both their stationary market, as well as the mobile market. They offer a range of fresh, seasonal vegetables, “picked the morning of, if possible," says Cameron Tate, Farm Manager at Janco Community Farms. Customers can get these fresh products by visiting their farm stand, catching a mobile market, or ordering online. On their website, there are options to order by choosing products a-la-cart, or by selecting a weekly box, all of which can be delivered right to your door.