Todd Weber, co-owner of Brownsburg-based Weber Farms, sells fresh local produce to the Carmel community through a pop-up farmers market stand.
For 13 years, the stand operated in the parking lot of the now-closed Vine & Table. Recently, it moved to a bigger and more visible parking lot at 160 W. Carmel Dr.
Weber and his daughter, Brooke, recently answered questions about what it’s like working in the family business. (Learn more at facebook.com/WeberFarms.)
What is a workday like for you?
Todd: I start probably at four in the morning and work until midnight, seven days a week. I get about four hours of sleep.
Brooke: We work hard in the summer and relax a little bit in the wintertime.
What are some of your daily responsibilities?
Todd: In the beginning, there’s a lot of farming, a lot of planting. We have to keep up with the weeding, taking care of the product while it’s growing. When you get in season when it’s time to start picking, you go out first thing in the morning and you pick. We have a sorting shed. Everybody comes in, sorts and packs, and then we head out. Every day.
What is the best part of your job?
Todd: I enjoy supplying people with fresh, local produce that’s picked every day. That’s our goal. We have a huge clientele.
Brooke: And working with me!
What is difficult about your job?
Todd: The heat and the hours. The weather turns sometimes. All these storms we get, you never get a gentle rain. Good old mother nature always just dumps it on you. Hail, and anymore of that becomes nerve racking. High winds are nerve racking. You can’t control mother nature. That’s the really tough thing about our business is the weather.
What are some of your farm’s most popular items?
Todd: We sell tons of tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes. Sweet corn is a big hit. Sugar baby watermelon. Our peaches are a big hit. We sell tons of stuff, but that’s our big buyers. We’re here from July 1 through Oct. 31. That is our season. You see a lot of pumpkins, apples, all kinds of fall stuff.
What do you want people to know about your products?
Todd: Our prices are very fair. I want them to know they’re getting fresh-picked A1, the best they can buy. That’s what we thrive on, which is quality.
