Darlington County Farm Expands Peanut Business

By Mike Switzer

Published May 29, 2015 at 5:32 AM EDT

Founded in 1970, our next guest's farm has grown into the state's largest cotton farm and one of the largest modern row crop farms in South Carolina. And just recently they announced a $6 million investment to build South Carolina's first commercial peanut shelling plant.

Mike Switzer interviews Charles Rogers, one of the family owners of Rogers Brothers Farm, and the family roasted peanut brand - Gillespie's Peanuts in Hartsville, 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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