Position: Co-Founder
Employer: The Frozen Farmer
Age: 33
Katey Evans has been farming fields ever since she got her first job at 12 years old, picking produce and planting pumpkins. So it should come as no surprise that as an adult she co-founded an ice cream business that uses cream from local Delaware dairy farmers and ingredients from her own family farm.
When Evans pitched The Frozen Farmer on the ABC TV show “Shark Tank,” the “Queen of QVC” Lori Greiner invested in the business, calling the ice creams “the best I’ve ever had in my entire life.”
One of The Frozen Farmer’s ingredients to success has been their focus on sourcing “misfit fruit” to cut down on food waste.
The company has its products on the shelves of nearly 400 chain stores in seven states, and it plans to expand its distribution nationwide in 2021.
In 2016, Evans opened the state’s first drive-thru farm market so families could pick up fresh produce from the convenience of their vehicles. After the coronavirus pandemic began, Evans launched online sales of her farm’s fruits, vegetables and other market items, allowing customers to pick up their purchases at the drive-thru market.
This year, Evans launched direct-to-consumer sales online for The Frozen Farmer, allowing the company to ship to more than 40 states in just three months.
Evans also delivered meals and ice cream to local fire and police departments and area hospitals during the pandemic.
A mother of three daughters – Kenna, 7; Kylin, 6; and Kollins, 2 – Evans has helped represent women in the farming industry as a speaker at the Delaware Women in Agriculture Conference, the Grow + FortifySummit, Delaware Social Media Conference, Sussex County’s Today and Tomorrow. She is also a member of the Delaware Women’s Workforce Council, which aims to achieve gender equality in Delaware workplaces.
Evans Farm often hosts school field trips to educate students about agriculture, and Evans has also partnered with local school districts in Delaware to promote farm-to-school relationships and serve her fresh, homegrown produce in school cafeterias.
