Sweet Grown Alabama Blogs

Who doesn’t love a farmers market filled with Sweet Grown Alabama fresh local produce and other homegrown products? How about Walmart pick up or Amazon Prime delivery? Now, imagine you combined both these things! A group of Sweet Grown Alabama farmers did just that. The Farmer Co-Op, a collective of farmers serving North Alabama, delivering fresh, locally grown farm products right to consumers’ doorsteps. 

Kristen Stebbins of Stebbins Family Farm began this initiative in April 2025 to partner with other area farmers and provide locally grown products in a convenient way.

“The goal of the Farmer Co-Op is to reach as many customers as we can and to help support as many farmers and makers as we can,” Stebbins said. “Maybe someday, you'll see us all over Alabama.”

While the Farmer Co-Op is a new program, the collective of farmers has big plans. They want to gain recognition as a small business with a heart for supporting all aspects of the community that brings the highest quality experience possible.  

The co-op began with the basics — eggs, bread, milk, beef and produce — but quickly expanded as more farmers joined in to offer their goods. Today, 13 local farmers contribute to the growing selection. The Farmer Co-Op now offers a wide variety of local goods, including beef, pork, chicken, lamb, shrimp, microgreens, breads, eggs, flowers, pet food and body care products. Their online store features over 100 items.   

These farmers set out to give customers a more complete and convenient shopping experience.

Many of the farmers in the co-op are Sweet Grown Alabama farmers.

• Stebbins Family Farm, Athens (chicken, duck eggs, baked goods)
• Blue Ridge Cattle Co., Cullman (beef)
• D&Y Farms, Cullman (shrimp) 
• Grown By Grace Farms, Albertville (assorted seasonal produce, squash relish)
• Morgan Farms, Horton (pork, lamb) 
• Short Creek Homestead, Guntersville (microgreens, edible flowers)

Most farmers participate in both on-farm and off-farm markets to get their products in front of customers, but balancing that with the demands of farm work, livestock care and everyday responsibilities can be incredibly challenging. Finding the time and resources to attend multiple events often stretches farmers thin.  

When asked why the Farmer Co-Op is a game changer, Dylan Gilbert of Blue Ridge Cattle Co. said "Some farmers markets are not open 24/7, and when they are open, not everyone can make it out to get their fresh products. “With today’s times, delivery is a luxury we get to have, and it really can help out.” 

“A mother of three might not have the time to pack up and get out to a farmers market, but she still wants to feed her children farm-fresh produce,” Gilbert said. “The Farmer Co-Op gives her that option.” 

Stebbins explained that her family often struggled to coordinate deliveries with their own customers, so the Farmer Co-Op was a great solution to their problem.

“My oldest son Ryan and I talked about how cool it would be if we could be like the old-fashioned milk trucks dropping them right off on customers porches,” she recalled. 

The co-op runs on a weekly schedule, with farmers meeting each Monday to gather products from fellow members. On Tuesday, they pack customer orders, load the bags and begin deliveries. The process repeats on Wednesday for the remaining orders, ensuring fresh, local goods reach customers throughout the week.  

To order products from the Farmer Co-Op, visit FarmerCo-Op.com and create an account. They’ll confirm you’re in the delivery area, then you can shop from all participating farms in one place. Add what you want to your basket; orders close on Saturday or Sunday, depending on where you live. Your fresh Sweet Grown Alabama products will be delivered right to your doorstep on Tuesday or Wednesday.  

Thanks to the convivence provided by the Farmer Co-Op, there’s almost no excuse not to support these local farmers in the North Alabama area. Make your dollar count by shopping local and sit back and relax while you wait for your high-quality, locally grown products to arrive at your doorstep. Your support could be the difference that keeps an Alabama farm in business. 

To find more locally grown goodness, recipes for your products and to learn more about local, visit SweetGrownAlabama.org.