Having grown up on their family farm in Grand Forks, North Dakota, sisters Annie, Mollie and Grace left for the Twin Cities of Minnesota to earn college degrees in business, law and marketing. After graduating, they each returned to Grand Forks determined to go into the business they’ve known since they were little girls: farming.
For decades, the Sproule family farm had been growing a specialty variety of wheat with unique nutritional benefits. As they grew into moms themselves, the sisters realized that this was the kind of all-natural grain they wanted to feed their families. Using 100% premium natural wheat, they began developing a line of high-fiber, nutrient-dense pastas.
In 2020, the entrepreneurs launched Three Farm Daughters to sell their deluxe pasta. The company’s brand is rooted in being a “clean label” product. “If you pick up a common wheat product from the grocery shelf, it’s likely to be enriched with additives and vitamins,” said middle sister Mollie Ficocello, adding that Three Farm Daughters’ pasta is made from just two simple ingredients: wheat flour and durum semolina.
Three Farm Daughters launched four years ago as an ecommerce business selling directly to consumers and in the Amazon store. Local marketing and press coverage drove sales to the company’s website. Meanwhile, the sisters’ Amazon store generated interest in the brand beyond the northern Midwest.
“We began shipping orders around the country, getting positive reviews on Amazon and seeing customer interest grow,” said Ficocello.
The sisters used their Amazon store sales data to open doors with other retailers. Today, in addition to selling in the Amazon store, their products are sold in more than 1,300 grocery stores across the country, including Whole Foods.
Being moms committed to heathy foods for their own families, the sisters use social media to showcase that they’re not just the face of the company, they’re running the business and using the product. Every week, the sisters share recipes and tips on how to use their pasta via social media channels and their blog.
“We have this great dialogue on social media because customers give feedback on a particular recipe or how they’re going to try it for an upcoming occasion,” said Ficocello, adding that the sisters’ understanding of wheat products is informed by science.
After launching Three Farm Daughters, customers with diabetes shared on the company’s website that their pasta products were not spiking blood sugar like other pasta brands. Based on their feedback, the sisters undertook a clinical study that revealed their products are a low-glycemic food.
“The study helps differentiate our brand, but it also means we can provide helpful scientific data to those making important health decisions. It’s kind of a win-win,” Ficocello added.
When it comes to giving back to the community, Three Farm Daughters is building a field of dreams, quite literally, through an annual event called Cans-4-Corn. Every year, the family plants two acres of sweet corn in a local field.
“We take care of the crop as it grows,” said Ficocello, “and, when it’s time to harvest, we invite everyone in the surrounding area to pick sweet corn for free.” In exchange, the public is asked to make a monetary or canned food donation to the local Salvation Army.
Ficocello said the 2023 Cans-4-Corn event collected more than 6,000 food items and raised more than $13,000.
Leveraging ecommerce and social media marketing and capitalizing on the farm-to-table movement, these entrepreneurs are helping their family farm and community thrive.