Our Family Legacy
In the words of our founder, Nathan Mininger “We are an All-American blended family.” Nathan and his wife Debbie have five adult children who are all grown, and they enjoy having 14 grandchildren who live within 10 miles of one another. Needless to say, many leisurely Sunday afternoons have been well spent at Papa Nathan and Grandma Debbie’s home. Nathan is no stranger to large families since he was raised in a family with six siblings. His parents Darryl and Helen Mininger introduced their children to farm life from infancy.
Nathan was raised in the Mennonite culture, which is very similar to the Amish lifestyle. Most boys from their church attended public high school through the age of 16.
Nathan was no different and by the age of 16 Nathan was working full time in the fields. Peaches, almonds, and sweet potatoes were common crops. Nathan worked as a young man alongside his father and brothers through adulthood.
At the age of 25, with new daughter Amberly and son Jason, Nathan left behind years of onion and carrot farming and moved toward new ventures awaiting him at AV Thomas Produce — a sweet potato packing company in sunny California. Nathan worked many good years at AV Thomas helping them grow their crops through the early 90’s when he branched off and created Mininger Farms Inc. Nathan grew in family with the birth of another daughter, Kimberly, as well as in farm acreage.
Today, Mininger Farms grows close to 1,000 acres of sweet potatoes annually. In years past, Nathan saw many ups and downs but has always persevered. Nathan is well known in the community for his unwavering generosity, positive outlook, and most of all for his gratitude to The One who can give and take away. This faith saw him through the tough years of farm life.
Nathan married Debbie Mininger in 2005 and gained two step sons Jason H. and Brian. You will rarely see Papa Nathan driving his Ford truck from field to field alone. Growing up happened for many of us in the passenger seat of Papa’s truck. There you will still find a listening ear, a fresh picked and ready to be eaten raw Covington yam, and a friend.
