Byne Blueberries heralded as Business of the Year
Posted by Anne Marie Kyzer on Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
By Anne Marie Kyzer of the True Citizen in Waynesboro, Ga
annemariek@thetruecitizen.com
The only thing Dick Byne may love talking about more than blueberries is his hometown.
Born and raised in Burke County, Dick has spent the past three decades raising bumper crops of blueberries and four daughters here with his wife Linda.
So, he was nearly moved to tears when Byne Blueberry Farm was announced as Small Business of the Year at the Burke County Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting last week.
“Waynesboro has supported me so much through the years and we are so appreciative of that,” he said, adding that just last fall when the Bynes introduced their chocolate blueberries, they sold out five times during the holidays here. “We were overwhelmed that our community would move so many blueberries in such a short amount of time before Christmas.”
Dick and Linda established Byne Blueberry Farm 32 years ago, eventually becoming the first organic blueberry farm in the country. Since then, with the help of their daughters Diane, AnnNell, Janie and Marion, they’ve grown to become a primary supplier of blueberries for natural food industry leaders such as Whole Foods and Earth Fare.
Over the years, the Bynes and their high quality berries and products have been recognized with a number of industry awards. Their blueberry salsa, a recipe honed in Linda’s kitchen, has been a first place winner in the Flavor of Georgia Contest organized by the University of Georgia. Two years ago, Dick received the Master Farmer award from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, where he graduated before attending UGA.
“Getting national or state awards are nice but it’s more personal when you get a Waynesboro award because people really know who you are,” Dick says. “These are the people you see day to day.”
The Bynes have also served as ambassadors for agriculture to members of this community and to those with a little less experience in the field. Local teens have often been given summer jobs, picking and sorting blueberries alongside the Byne daughters. The family has also hosted farm tours for employees of Whole Foods to offer them a glimpse of life on a working farm and the passion their family has for growing the best berries possible.
When not on the farm, Linda works as a librarian at Edmund Burke Academy and Dick drives a school bus for Burke County Public Schools.
For the past 17 years, Dick has also served on the Waynesboro City Council.
“(Dick) is probably no stranger to anyone in this room, because he is literally all over the community with his positive attitude, cheerful spirit and a hearty ‘here, here’ during meetings.” incoming chamber president Val Prescott said as he introduced the Bynes. “There is no one who loves this community more or serves as a better ambassador than this man.”
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