Find these South Georgia sausages on backyard grills and military bases
The sizzle of sausage on the grill is part of the soundtrack of summer. That sound, and the aroma of hot juices hitting the charcoal, can draw a crowd in minutes.
Sausage is also an easy win when it comes to meal prep; the meat is already seasoned, so it just needs to be cooked through or, sometimes, simply heated to temperature.
While sausage might make a simple and economical meal, they’re not all created equal. Look to a Valdosta-based company that’s been in business for more than 100 years to add a little Georgia flavor to any sausage-based dish.
A century of sausage-making in Valdosta
Sunset Farm Foods is a family company with deep roots in the Valdosta area.
“We’ve been here for four generations. People know us here,” said Tom Carroll, the company’s CEO, in a conversation with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In 1918, Tom Carroll’s great-grandfather Walter W. Carroll was a cattleman selling sides of beef to a Valdosta market. At first, the focus was selling cuts of meat but over time, the company’s mission and name evolved. In the late 1960s Jack Knight, a newly hired plant manager, developed the sausage recipe that’s still being used today, a recipe that would propel the company into full-time sausage-making.
The name, Sunset Farm Foods, came from a hunting club on James D. Carroll’s property, son of founder Walter.
“We changed the name when our plant came under federal inspection, and that allowed us to ship across state lines,” said Tom Carroll.
Fourth generation expands family company’s horizons
Tom Carroll worked in the computer consulting industry for seven years before joining the family business in 1997. He soon recognized the grocery industry was changing.
“For many years, grocery stores were primarily a mom-and-pop business with customers who looked to them to stock local brands. Gradually the move to big chains meant a focus on national brands,“ Carroll said.
“We had to change, too, beating the bushes, introducing our products to more people, broadening our customer base. Now Walmart is our biggest customer, with our sausage in Walmarts in five states, and in Sam’s Clubs.”
Carroll’s adaptation to the shifting grocery industry allowed Sunset Farm to expand distribution throughout the region. And a relationship with the U.S. military has proven fruitful.
“You can find our sausage primarily in the Southeast, east of the Mississippi and up into the Midwest,” Carroll told the AJC. “Our sausage is (also) found worldwide through Department of Defense commissaries. Go to the commissary on any U.S. military base and you’ll find our sausage there. And we do a lot of events with the military. At Moody Air Force base, just north of Valdosta, they host big events and we’re out there grilling sausage and giving it away.”
How the sausage is made — 200,000 pounds per week
Expanding the market meant expanding the workforce. When Carroll took over Sunset Farm Foods, the company had 45 employees. Now they employ 170 people who make the sausage but also work in the office, in transportation and in sales.
Workers at the 50,000-square-foot plant work two shifts, five days a week, producing 200,000 pounds of sausage each week in 16 different flavors. Most is smoked pork sausage with seasoning blends that run from mild to hot and flavors that range from bell pepper and onion to garlic, herb and sun-dried tomato.
The original sausage recipe is available in hot or mild flavors and in links or rope style. A chicken-pork sausage combination was added in the 1980s at the request of a customer and has grown to be one of their biggest sellers, available mild, hot and as red hots. Still, the mild, pure pork sausage is the biggest seller.
The company packages each variety of sausage in multiple sizes to suit the needs of their retail and food service clients. The product line now includes 80 different items.
The success of Sunset Farm Foods is due, in part, to the company’s willingness to produce even more flavors of sausage. When they get an idea for a new flavor, Carroll and his team partner with a seasoning supplier to develop proprietary spice blends.
They’re currently developing andouille sausage, pineapple sausage and Portuguese sausage. The latter is also known as linguica, a smoky sausage seasoned with garlic, paprika and vinegar.
Where to find Sunset Farm Foods sausage
The Valdosta plant doesn’t have a retail store but locals know they can stop by the business office and purchase a case or two. Those in the Atlanta area can places orders online or find Sunset Farm sausage at Kroger, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Food Depot, Piggly Wiggly, Wayfield Foods and Nam Dae Mun Farmers Market.
The company also supports South Georgia schools and community organizations with donations of products.
“When school starts up each year, the school system holds events giving away school supplies and we donate our sausage,” Carroll said. “They tell us that our free food helps get people to the event, and we’re proud to support them that way.”
Sheet pan dinner is a family favorite
The Sunset Farm Foods website offers a recipe section with ideas that have come from customers and employees. Carroll says a favorite in his own home is a cracked pepper sausage dinner.
“We use (the cracked pepper sausage) in cassoulet and when we make pasta sauce,” Carroll said. “One of our favorite ways to serve it is a sheet pan bake with potatoes, bell peppers, onions and our sausage. Heat it up and then crack six eggs on top. Return it to the oven until the eggs are cooked through and then top it with kale. Then back into the oven to wilt the kale. Outstanding.”
