Sarah Frey Knihy

One woman's tenacious journey to escape poverty and create a billion-dollar farming business unfolds in this inspiring narrative. The youngest of twenty-one siblings, Sarah Frey grew up on a struggling Southern Illinois farm, often having to grow, catch, or hunt her own meals. Dreaming of a life away from the farm, she moved out at fifteen and launched a fresh produce delivery business with an old pickup truck. When her family farm faced foreclosure, Sarah took charge at seventeen and started her own produce company. Defying traditional norms, she navigated boardrooms, struck deals with major retailers, and became renowned for her negotiation skills, even earning a case study at Harvard Business School. Today, Frey Farms, her family-operated company, has generated over a billion dollars in sales and is one of America’s largest fresh produce suppliers, with farmland across seven states. Known as "America's Pumpkin Queen," Sarah sells millions of melons and pumpkins each year. This story highlights how her challenging rural upbringing instilled the grit and resilience needed to embrace risks and uncover opportunities in a forgotten region of the country. With creativity and fearlessness, Sarah literally dug her destiny out of the dirt, transforming her life and community.