Back in 1926, my grandfather, Nun Henderson, began driving a buckboard wagon route to deliver the fruits and vegetables he grew on his family farm. He had six mules to pull the wagon, and he’d spend the nights camping by the side of the road as he traveled down the mountain from the Green River Cove area of North Carolina to the cities of upstate South Carolina.
During the thirties and forties, my father, Cecil Henderson, drove a black pick-up truck to deliver apples and fresh produce to grocers throughout the region. In 1950, he and my mother, Elizabeth Henderson, founded the C.L. Henderson Produce Company. While my father died in 1998, my mother remains the company owner and works in our office every day. Both my sons have worked on the farm, and one is an agricultural research technician with the NC Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station.
We were all raised on the farm. It’s part of our life. That’s why we take pride in it and why we take the quality of our produce and the reputation of our Henderson’s Best brand name very seriously.
Today, we value our heritage while we seek innovative ways to meet the demands of a changing world. We work hard to stay on the cutting edge of technology. For example, we had the first controlled atmosphere apple storage unit in North Carolina. We employ EDI—Electronic Data Interchange—and VMRS—Vendor Management Replenishing Systems—to ensure that fresh food arrives to the grocer’s shelves in the most timely manner possible. Our modern fleet of 12 tractor/trailer trucks delivers directly to grocers along the entire East Coast and beyond.
We are able to ensure freshness and quality by taking responsibility for every aspect of our produce. We work hard to ensure that our apples are juicy, our beans are fresh, our squash is tender and our peppers are crisp. You, the consumer, are our ultimate boss, the one we aim to please.
We are proud of everything we do. Please click on a link to learn more about us.
