The Friendly Farmers Fridge

FINCHVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Abbott family's story started with sheep.

Now, it's a farmer's market on wheels. 

The Abbotts raise Royal White Hair Sheep at Walnut Cliff Farms in Shelby County. Looking for a new way to sell and market their product, they developed an innovative way to grow their business and help other local farmers, too.

"To be a modern farmer, you have to change," Tom Abbott said.

With the Farmer's Friendly Fridge, the family plans to bring a variety of local meats and produce to their community and beyond using a refrigerated trailer.

"It doesn't get any fresher unless you go to the farm yourself," Abbott said.

The mobile grocery will start at the Shelbyville Rural King on weekends. Then, it will go to neighborhoods and set up at local churches. The operation is accepting requests for destinations. 

Eventually, the goal is to get fresh food to people who might have a hard time accessing it.

"That is a big part of this, the food deserts as they're called," Abbott said. "People that are a long way away from the grocery store or don't have a way to the grocery store." 

Several Shelby County farmers have already signed onto the project and will be able to use their own branding for their products. 

"We don't want to take their identity away," said Rebecca Abbott, Tom Abbot's wife, who also runs the farm. "They're really good at what they do; they're proud of the product that they produce, and we want to support that." 

The project is a way to bring fresh food to communities and share stories about the hard work that went into it. 

"It's just telling that story and being the family farm connection," Rebecca Abbot said. 

The mobile grocery should be up and running within the next few weeks once more produce is ready. The Abbotts are also still looking for other local farmers to partner with. For more information, click here or call (502) 931-6441.

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