In 1838, on two-thousand acres of farm land in Effingham, South Carolina, patriarch James McCall harvested a legacy.

McCall Farms operated solely as a farm until 1954, at which time James Woodrow Swink, husband of granddaughter Harriet McCall, constructed a 5,000-square-foot canning operation on the property. Operating just ten weeks out of the year, the farm concentrated on only the freshest locally grown tomatoes, okra and corn.

Thanks to a combination of gifted hands, dedicated employees, divine precipitation and a community populated with support, McCall Farms continued to grow. In a perfect illustration of supply and demand, McCall Farms' cannery quickly expanded its line to include squash, string beans, peas, potatoes, peanuts, peaches and a bountiful selection of greens, thus beginning a year-round operation. The Farms' success allowed for its most notable acquisition in 1985 Ð the Holmes Canning Company in Sandersville, Georgia. Acknowledging the weight of the Margaret Holmes brand obtained in the purchase, McCall Farms entered into the Georgia and Alabama markets, followed rapidly by the entire Southeast. McCall Farms now cans and distributes many different products under its own name brands: Margaret Holmes, Greer, Osage, Peanut Patch, Garcia, and Lord Chesterfield, as well as many private labels.

In the early 1930s, Ed Holmes of Sandersville, Georgia, began canning white acre peas and squash in his kitchen, under the watchful eyes of his wife Margaret. A very meticulous woman, Margaret only permitted the freshest, highest-quality vegetables to be canned. A true southern gentleman, Ed Holmes thought it was only appropriate to name his product line after his deserving wife. As time passed, demand increased to the point that they had to move out of the kitchen and into a processing facility. The facility was built on their farm within sight of their home. As Mr. Holmes was busy growing the business, his young son David was growing along with it and over the years, they worked together to increase the product line to include black-eye peas, crowder peas, butter peas and field peas.

The Margaret Holmes' line expanded into a very recognized regional label that began in Georgia but moved into Alabama, Florida and the Carolinas. Sadly, in the early 70s, Ed Holmes passed away, but not before seeing his dream of producing high-quality, well-recognized products become a reality.

David's son Eric continued the family tradition and worked and grew with the company in the 1970s and 80s. In the early 80s, David's health began to fail and his son Eric was uncertain of his long-term goals.

In June of 1996, a new processing plant was completed at McCall Farms, in addition to the implementation of a pouch line in 2003. The state-of-the-art plant catapulted McCall Farms' business well into the 21st century, perpetuating its family business for generations to come.

Today, McCall Farms continues its modest farming operation from its humble beginnings in Effingham. Canning and distributing Southern vegetable products grown on its original two-thousand acres of family farms with an additional three-thousand farming acres contracted from other farmers in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida, the McCall Farms family is proud to bring you the finest products for generations to come.