Ian Carroll will be bringing strawberries to Macomb’s upcoming summer farmers market - a lot of strawberries. I was expecting an older, seasoned produce grower when I set up the interview for the Community Brief newspaper on new farmers market vendors. Instead, in strolled a 6’5” bright eyed, Illini West high school sophomore ready to discuss his very own business creation, Berry Good Berries.
Last year, Carroll was searching for a two- or three-year project to occupy his time before going off to college. Ian hopes to eventually attend the University of Illinois at Champaign and major in business. However, before that time comes, he will already have a good sense of what it entails starting and operating a business. Ian decided to build and run his own strawberry business, a job that he could mostly work hard at over the summer and wouldn’t interfere with school.
Since the Carrolls are farmers, Ian was able to purchase one half an acre from his father, who wanted him to know that land isn’t free.
The Carrolls farm southwest of Carthage, off the Basco blacktop, growing crops and raising hogs. Ian initially thought he would need an acre, but soon realized that an acre of strawberries would be overwhelming.
The half-acre he bought was previously a soybean field.
In September of 2025, Carroll planted 6000 strawberry plants purchased from a wholesaler in Carbondale.
He chose three varieties, Fronteras, Camarosa and one identified by a number, so that he would have early, mid, and late season berries.
A former employee of the Carroll family, Ron Knoche, of Sutter Produce Company supplied Ian with a specialty tractor and the necessary equipment to get the plants in the ground. Ian stresses that Ron and his wife Julie were very helpful in getting him started in the strawberry business. Ian’s family helps him occasionally with various tasks; for example his mom drove to Carbondale to pick up the first batch of plants. They had the next batch of plants shipped.
Ian chose to plant in the fall last year instead of spring, even though he was playing high school football. He was anxious to get his business up and running and to take advantage of harvesting opportunities.
Carroll found out early on that deer love strawberry plants, and he was soon putting up an eight-foot barrier around his half acre. He also learned that the soil on his property is not consistently moist enough.
Ian put down plastic over his entire patch, to keep weeds at bay. He irrigates with soaker lines, and over the winter covered his field with thin plastic (250’ by 100’ of plastic). He used sandbags to weigh down the plastic, protecting his investment from the Illinois snow and cold. Now that spring is here, Carroll is ready to hit the road with his Berry Good Berries business. He plans on hiring some parttime help, as picking 4000 quarts of strawberries will take some time and labor. Ian will be selling his strawberries at the Quincy Summer Farmers Market on Saturdays and the Macomb Summer Farmers Market on Thursdays. He is also tech savvy and one will be able to scan a QR code on his Facebook page to pre-order strawberries. He also plans on making deliveries of those orders.
On Ian’s Facebook page he often posts videos of the different stages of his operation. He recently purchased a cold container where he can keep the berries at just the right temperature prior to selling them.
When you meet this young man at Macomb’s Summer Farmers Market, you are not just meeting a 16-year-old high school sophomore helping another seasoned produce grower sell his or her wares. You are meeting a 16-year-old force of nature, who by the time he reaches college will have already successfully built, operated and marketed his own line of produce. He could be a great mentor to other entrepreneurs and his work ethic is no doubt inspirational to all.
Strawberries, like blueberries, have a short season around this area, usually less than a month. Be sure to pick up some Berry Good Berries and say hi to this young entrepreneur from Illini West High School. You can reach Berry Good Berries on Facebook, in person at the Macomb Farmers Market on Thursdays, at (309) 209-0113 and by email at [email protected].
