Columbia, North Carolina

The community:
Established on the banks of the beautiful Scuppernong River in 1793, Elizabethtown changed its name to Columbia in 1801. It became the county seat in 1802, and today, is known as the "onliest" town in North Carolina: it is the only town in Tyrrell County and has the county's only schools and post office. It also features one of the state's most picturesque waterfronts and is home to more than 4,000 people. One of the oldest counties in the state, Tyrrell, with its deep, black, silt loam soil, is bordered on the north by the Albemarle Sound, one of the East Coast's largest estuarine systems, and to the east by the Alligator River. It's known for fishing, hunting, logging and farming. Various crops are grown in the county, including potatoes, corn, soybeans, cotton, sweet potatoes and Scuppernong grapes.

Operations:
The acquisition of the Durwood Cooper Farm in 2004 marked a new chapter in Black Gold history, moving the company into the East Coast shipping lanes and complementing its shipping window. The Black Gold farm in Columbia raises corn and soybeans in addition to potatoes and is located in Gum Neck township. The name Gum Neck comes from its geographic and natural bounds, a large neck of land on which gum trees were plentiful. Most Gum Neck settlers seem to have been Scots. Much of the land farmed was swamp at one time. The swamp was diked and pumped out and we help maintain and operate these pumps for the pumping district.

Employees:
Black Gold at Columbia has close to 10 full-time and about 30 to 40 seasonal employees.