When Taylor Hatchett was 8 years old, she fell in love with selling produce when she and her dad would load up a truck of peaches and head to Slocomb to sell until they ran out.
In 2003, while attending Auburn, Hatchett wanted to find a way to make money during the summer. Realizing there were not any local farmers markets, she looked back on her passion for marketing and had the idea to sell peaches to the community.
Hatchett found a local grower who would allow her to haul peaches to Auburn, and she set up a stand in the now-demolished Heart of Auburn Hotel parking lot a few times a week.
Because of the success she was having, Hatchett set up a peach orchard in 2005. In the same year Auburn began sponsoring The Market at Ag Heritage Park on Thursdays, which she participated in.
All of these events paved the way for Hatchett and her father, Bobby Boozer, to open Boozer Farms, a full-time farm, in 2012.
The farm, located in Thorsby, took over another market called A New Leaf Farm Stand in 2014 and continued to grow support from the community and local farmers.
To this day, Boozer Farms focuses on selling fresh produce to as many people as possible. Hatchett said the produce, which is grown either by the farm or other local growers and sold at farmers markets, promotes healthy eating and allows the community access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
“A tomato picked under-ripe in California and shipped to Alabama will never taste as good as a fresh local vine-ripened one,” Hatchett said.
Rebecca Laatsch, a volunteer at both the farm and the markets, said the produce small farms provide is a gift.
“It tastes better and is often produced in healthier and safer ways,” said Laatsch.
In addition to selling produce to customers, Laatsch said Boozer Farms has recently started bringing produce directly to corporations. Their farm stands allow them to provide produce to professionals who struggle to find time to shop for fresh foods.
Aside from just providing food, Hatchett said she is concerned with informing the public of what goes into being a farmer. Boozer Farms educates the community and promotes agriculture to help people understand what goes into their food.
"My dad once told me as a teenager that one of the most important things a person can have is a good name," Boozer said. "He would be proud of Taylor and her operation, Boozer Farms."
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