New mainstay of downtown Asheboro

ASHEBORO — Steen Family Produce has become a local source of fruits, vegetables and a myriad of farm products from the Carolinas.

Timothy Steen and his daughter, Macie Sheehan, moved their merchandise into a former gas station at 226 S. Fayetteville St. about a year and a half ago. Since then, the business has become a fixture in downtown Asheboro.

Steen said he began in 2008 selling peaches from a roadside stand. “That grew into watermelons, cantaloupes, fruits and vegetables, to this,” he said.

Formerly living in South Carolina, he had developed relationships with farmers, particularly in Pageland for watermelons and cantaloupes, and McLeod Farms in McBee, SC, for peaches. 

While most of his produce comes from farmers in central North Carolina, Steen said he gets his winter tomatoes from Florida. “You gotta go where they’re at,” he said.

The Steen Family Produce vision is two-fold, according to Sheehan. They want to provide a central location for farmers to “showcase their products.” Along with that, she said, they want to “become a full-service (market) for fresh produce with local-based support.”

This time of year, Steen provides summertime products such as melons, tomatoes, peaches, field peas, squash and plums. You can find peanuts in the shell, molasses, honey, eggs, milk, pimento cheese, block cheese and country butter. Authentic Blenheim ginger ale heads the list of bottled drinks.

In the future, Sheehan said, the hope is to offer locally produced ice cream, slushies, and homemade hand and classic pies.

Steen Family Produce isn’t just a retail store. The business also sells wholesale to Triad companies, including more than 50 restaurants. Some of the most distant suppliers are located in the Low Country of South Carolina, which grows an abundance of strawberries. They get butter beans, peas and sweet potatoes from Lacombe, near Kinston.

Packaged beef comes from Concord and Robbins is a source of pork. Potatoes and onions are provided by a Winton-Salem distributor that collects from North Carolina farmers. Citrus fruits and apples normally are in abundance later in the year.

“We want to be where the community comes rather than large commercial companies,” Sheehan said. “Here, you know where the product is coming from.”

Steen Family Produce is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The business is closed on Sundays.