Updated on October 13, 2023
Chip Carter
Producer and host
where food comes from
I’ve been working in national media since…well, a long time, long enough that my earliest years were spent typing away on a typewriter (remember those? Anyone?) and writing for newspapers (ditto question…anyone?).
I spent many years as a Globe columnist chicago tribune and Washington postand then sign huffington post.
I had already seen a few things before embarking on a brand new adventure a few years ago, this time in the world of television. I came home to tell the stories of my people—the farmers and families who feed us all—and I knew they had to be told in a visual form.
My national prime time TV series where food comes from From its January 2022 premiere on RFD-TV Network through later this year (now in Season 4), we will amplify further through a new agency agreement that will put us on multiple other networks around the world broadcast. This is a big change.
But something else has changed more seriously for me recently, and that change stems from my experience working with Heartland Food Products Group, the manufacturer of Splenda brand products.
For years, I have watched corporate America export industry, jobs, and opportunity. We’re used to this idea. We certainly wouldn’t expect to see this trend reverse.
Back in March, I received a press release from Heartland promising to bring stevia production to the United States and partner with small family farms to grow the crop.
You may not realize it, but the corporate world has found its way into agriculture. In an area that once had 30, 40, 50 family farms, there are now maybe three or four. There are many farm families who are willing to join this fight because they are truly passionate and committed to feeding the world. This is often passed down from generation to generation – their employees have been doing the same thing for years. Farmers expect times to be tough.
They don’t expect support. Remarkably, that’s what they got from Heartland.
The March press release led me to contact Heartland to discuss a possible scenario. where food comes from. They saw an opportunity and we immediately started planning and preparations.
In early May, my team traveled to Lake Panasovski, Florida to visit the Splenda Stevia Farm and meet the incredible team working to bring jobs and opportunity to America.
Heartland Chairman and CEO Ted Gelov also flew in to meet with us to discuss his vision for the farm. He told me that when Heartland acquired the Splenda brand in 2016, his goal was to have an America-first plan, with all products made or grown in the United States.
I know what powerful, accomplished people look like. I know what American business leaders are like. I guarantee you they are not all like Ted.
As I stood in the fields talking to him that morning, I was struck by his obviously genuine commitment to this project, to the heartland, to this country, and to America’s farmers. It’s real, genuine, and intense. As he outlined his goals and vision, his attitude was very similar to the thousands of passionate, caring farmers I have met throughout my career.
Rarely have I been so inspired. We went out that day and told a great story, and I can honestly say it was the most exciting agricultural project I’ve ever seen and the most comprehensive corporate project I’ve ever heard of.
Splenda Stevia Farms is building a new agricultural industry and bringing jobs to the United States instead of sending them overseas. It provides opportunities for America’s small farm families, rather than taking them away—people who don’t get much of a break.
Take foresight, foresight, care, planning and development, passion and compassion – over the years combined with a common goal to do something good in the world – stir it all into a big pot and you get Splenda Stevia farm.
You’ll see the whole story on my TV show. I can honestly say that I have never done something that I was proud of. We always have reason to hope for a better world, even if the world we live in now is so complex. Stories like this prove this.
Watch the full episode!
video: Splenda Stevia Farms: America’s New Industry
Learn more about Splenda Stevia Farms click here.
