Sweet Grown Alabama Blogs

RANBURNE, Ala.— The Barn of Blooms in Ranburne is a proud member of the state's agricultural branding program Sweet Grown Alabama. Owners Taylor and Cole Gibbs began farming in 2011 with a commercial dairy farm. After several years of industry-wide issues in the dairy business, the Gibbs decided to turn the then-storage shed barn into a plant nursery.

“It’s important to know where your food is grown,” said Taylor. “Knowing that everything you buy is grown fresh is what people want.”

Sweet Grown Alabama exists to connect Alabama farmers and families. The non-profit foundation helps farmers promote their products through a convenient online searchable database. Consumers can locate Sweet Grown Alabama farmers in their area by searching the database via zip code or by product.   

“The Barn of Blooms is a beautiful spot to find Sweet Grown Alabama products,” said Sweet Grown Alabama Director Ellie Watson. “Not only do they grow some of their own products, but they support local farms all across the state. The Barn of Blooms is a great example of neighbors supporting neighbors- exactly what Sweet Grown Alabama is about.”

Taylor and Cole have a passion for gardening and said they love connecting to the community through The Barn of Blooms. They plan to grow their tree business and increase agritourism opportunities for families to come visit the barn. In 2020 they sold plants, vegetables, ice cream and more during the spring and summer months. The fall season brought pumpkins, mums and corn stalk décor. They sold Christmas trees and poinsettias during the winter months.

 “Everything we cannot grow on the farm, we are able to find locally through Sweet Grown Alabama’s database,” said Cole. “It’s great to know whose hands have been on your products.”                    

To learn more about The Barn of Blooms visit thebarnofblooms.com or visit their Facebook page at Facebook.com/thebarnofblooms.

To find local near you, visit www.sweetgrownalabama.org.