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"Certified South Carolina" a Growing Brand for the State’s Produce

"Certified SC Grown" logo

More and more, boxes and crates of fresh produce leaving the Palmetto State for stores and markets in other states are bearing an increasingly familiar sticker: "Certified South Carolina Grown." Ansley Turnblad, branding coordinator for the S.C. Dept. of Agriculture, says the brand encourages people to look for, ask for and buy South Carolina produce.

According to Ag Department Marketing Specialist Matt Cornwell, the state is becoming well known in other regions for its watermelons and kale, but its crown jewel is still its peaches, which Turblad said is a special point of pride. Why? At a produce industry expo in Georgia, representatives of the "Peach State's" agriculture industry admitted to her that they thought the best peaches were from South Carolina.

Tut Underwood is producer of South Carolina Focus, a weekly news feature. A native of Alabama, Tut graduated from Auburn University with a BA in Speech Communication. He worked in radio in his hometown before moving to Columbia where he received a Master of Mass Communications degree from the University of South Carolina, and worked for local radio while pursuing his degree. He also worked in television. He was employed as a public information specialist for USC, and became Director of Public Information and Marketing for the South Carolina State Museum. His hobbies include reading, listening to music in a variety of styles and collecting movies and old time radio programs.