With a family legacy, like that of the McGruder’s of Alabama, Marie McGruder could just rest. She could enjoy her exit from corporate finance with the peace of knowing that she has done enough with her life and the legacy she inherited. Apparently not.
Marie McGruder is the great-great granddaughter of Charles McGruder, a notable slave who was treated as a breeder for Alabama plantations. The most graceful story of this family has been told in an episode of ABC’s Soul of Nation: Legacy of a Slave from 2021. After the Transatlantic Slave Trade ended in 1808, slave owners used breeders to grow their workforce domestically, since they could no longer import labor. In 1867, after being freed, Charles McGruder acquired 300 acres of land, where he listed his wife Rachel and 40 of his children on the deed. One hundred and sixty years later, Marie McGruder came back to Alabama to revive the legacy and land stewardship of what is now known as McGruder Farms.
“When I returned, after more than 35 years in executive leadership, we had land, we had faith, we had purpose, and we were also debt-free. What we needed…a clear strategy to grow beyond farming into a sustainable enterprise” -Marie McGruder.
At the heart of Marie’s operation is organic; both in practice and in paperwork. Marie has been very clear that the McGruder Farm will serve as a source of chemical and pesticide free, non-genetically modified, fresh fruits and vegetables for the surrounding communities. The practices of organic farming honor the principles intended for care of the family land. However, Marie also understood that operationalizing to the full scale she envisioned is greatly supported by having the USDA certified organic seal.
Marie and her family have a comprehensive regenerative business model for the farming enterprise they are building. The farm has production, processing, food safety systems, traceability, and value-added brands all based on organic certification. The investment in certification is seen as strengthening their capacity to serve both the community and the land. Marie has created a 18-month roadmap that leads to the expansion of organic production in the Southeast. The roadmap includes integrated technology and disciplined systems needed for accountability and growth.
McGruder Farms is built with contributions from family, government agencies, universities, non-profits, community partners and customers. Together, they are building an enterprise in Alabama that is much larger than any single farm. The business is intentionally diversified. Fresh produce becomes frozen products. Herbs become teas, hydrosols, and botanical wellness products. Each enterprise supports the next, creating multiple revenue streams. Still the McGruder’s stay true to their families’ mission and legacy of nourishing the land and its people.
McGruder joined the Organic Trade Association (OTA) through the Small Business Access Program—a program intended to remove the financial and technical barriers that keep under-resourced producers and brands from entering the organic marketplace. The program is completely funded by OTA members and serves as an example of our mission to grow organic. Through working in this program, over the past 2 years, McGruder Farms has earned its organic certification. Marie has taken seriously the opportunity to network, engage, and become integrated into the organic ecosystem. She has attended Organic Week in DC as both a member and a speaker. Hers is a name that is already frequently mentioned, when speaking of the next generation of leaders in the organic movement.
One of Marie’s biggest dreams, from the age of eight, has been to farm on the land that has been in her family for nearly 160 years. The hallowed land is now a sanctuary of regeneration and healing of a family and community. The most solemn declaration of how important this land has been to its community and the state, might be a plaque that sits at “McGruder Crossing.” The plaque marks the beginning of a piece of land that the McGruder’s sold to the United States Army in 2003. Its inscription sums up both the past and what Marie has expressed as the future of this land: “Appreciation is extended to the McGruder family for protecting this beautiful property and sharing it with the people of the United States of America.”
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