South Carolina Business Review

SC Black farm invited to national agriculture cohort

By Mike Switzer

Published March 1, 2024 at 6:30 AM EST

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Ronald Friday, owner of Candy Friday Farm in Timmonsville, S.C.

The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) recently announced the formation of their latest cohort in their Acres program: Cultivating Equity in Black Agriculture, which trains and certifies Black farmers and ranchers as diverse suppliers, helping them access new markets. And a South Carolina farm is included in this latest cohort. Mike Switzer interviews Ronald Friday, owner of Candy Friday Farm in Timmonsville, SC.

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Mike Switzer

After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.

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