Sweet Georgia Fuyu Persimmons
October 2025: Rising Tide Issue 9
Meet Laura Potts-Wirht of Sweet Georgia Fuyu Persimmons
Tell us about your business and the many ways this fruit can be used.
I celebrate the Fuyu Persimmon! We’ve grown the Fuyu Persimmon at our farm in Glennville, Georgia since 2015, and I love to work with the fruit to create products! I have a line of Fuyu Persimmon food products that I started creating in 2016.
I sell these products in person, on my website, at festivals and events, at retail stores along the coast, and of course at our farm. We are members of Georgia Farm Passport and also have U-Pick fruit at our farm during our short fruit season in October & November.
However, I’m not done creating products! There are so many ways to use this wonderful fruit! For example, I’m certified as a hard cider maker. As a hobby, I make Fuyu Persimmon Cider. And, because it has such a mild honey sweetness, I can also flavor it with other fruits we grow at our farm. Plus, there are other persimmon products in development.
What made you start your business?
We bought the farm in 2015 as we also farm in California and missed being there once our sons started school. Our youngest son started Kindergarten after having been in pre-school part-time. So, I knew I would have some extra time apart from my other job and decided I wanted a new business challenge. Once we planted the persimmons, I naturally wanted to do more with the fruit in a culinary way. I love to cook and creatively work with food. My business was born!
Does the persimmon seem to hold a mystery or remain elusive to many of us in the South? Why and what are you doing about that?
Yes, the fact that the Fuyu Persimmon is new to people makes my job more fun! Since 2017, I’ve sold the fruit at farmers markets and festivals offering samples and info cards to customers - and really anyone who shows an interest. The biggest hurdle to get past is that many people in the south only know the wild persimmon which can be bitter if not ripe. I’m always happy to discuss these differences with people so they can learn about the different varieties of persimmon and why the Fuyu is the always sweet variety - never bitter.
I also give educational presentations about the fruit to civic groups, garden clubs, and classrooms, and on farm tours. We also sell the fruit to schools where we also educate the kids about the fruit. And, I’ve also educated people about the fruit through cooking shows, TV Farm Shows, podcasts, social media, magazine, and newspaper articles
I’m passionate about this delicious fruit! Many of my customers tell me it is their favorite fruit.
How does your business align with innovation, sustainability, or community engagement?
Oh, wow! This is an exciting business for these areas.
As far as innovation goes, I make products with persimmons you literally cannot find anywhere else in the world! And, I’m still innovating for the products in development and those to come.
For farming, we practice conservation through water management, erosion control, no-till farming, natural cover crops, encouraging animal habitats, composting, and no pesticides. And, our thousands of trees are great for the environment! We also have bee hives at the farm!
Community engagement is something we really enjoy. As I mentioned, we educate people about the fruit through presentations, farm tours, and a variety of media and social media. School, church, and other groups come to the farm for tours and for U-Pick. We also engage through the local schools, farmers markets, and festivals. From the beginning, we always focused on engaging with our surrounding community and coordinating with local farmers.
Laura is offering a free gift-sized jar of Persimmon Jam in this month's Southern Charm Subscription Box. Plus, all new subscribers who commit to 6 months of our Subscription box will automatically receive the 6th one free after their fifth transaction!
Send a message to orders@salaciasalts.com for 20% off Sweet Fuyu Persimmons, good for October 1st - November 15th (persimmon season!).
