Bradenton’s Mixon Farms is not all about the fruit. It’s also popping out ‘Broghies’
Every eight seconds, a saucer-sized disc of hot popped grain explodes out of a Broghie machine at Mixon Fruit Farms.
Broghies, low-calorie, low-fat wafers, are growing in popularity with folks who are watching their waistline and their health.
Dean and Janet Mixon, owners of Mixon Fruit Farms, 2525 27th St. E., recently became the U.S. distributors for Broghies, a healthy alternative to bread or crackers, and have been shipping a growing number of boxes nationwide.
Ken Tracey and Terry Brush, co-founders of Garavogue, a company in Ontario, Canada, named the popped discs after their daughters, Broghen and Brogyn. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were having difficulty doing business across the international border, and reached out to Mixon Fruit Farms to become their distributor in the United States.
The Mixons had been making Broghies for several years, but had to up their game. The distributor brought in three new Broghie machines, the bags and the sealers needed to become a distributor.
Not only has the new product added to Mixon’s bottom line, it has allowed the owners to give their employees more hours during the tough pandemic economy.
Teresa Cunningham has worked five years in Mixon’s office, helped schedule birthday and wedding venue rentals, and worked in the gift shop.
Now, she is taking the lead in making Broghies. Wednesday, Cunningham had two Broghie machines going full tilt. The steady popping sound and popcorn aroma attracted every customer who came through Mixon’s doors.
“I am an on-the-go person. This job is great because it keeps me on the go,” said Cunningham, one of several Mixon employees learning to make Broghies.
Each Broghie starts out as a tablespoon of wheat and salt or masa, corn and salt. The raw ingredients are heated until they pop and are ejected onto a collection tray, where they are gathered, bagged and boxed for shipment.
Mixon’s is currently shipping about 240 cases of Broghies a week, many of them to California and other western states.
Most of Mixon’s staff was interested in learning how to make Broghies, introducing something new into their day, Janet Mixon said.
Broghies add to the diversification of Mixon’s bottom line, which already includes fancy fruit shipping, special event venue rentals, the gift shop, tram tours and a new crop, bamboo.
In its most recent bamboo harvest, Mixon’s sold 7,000 pounds of fresh bamboo to the Northeast. With the maturation of the bamboo crop, Mixon projects that this summer’s crop could be as much as 105,000 pounds.
“We are going through a learning curve,” Janet Mixon said. “This year the crop could be a really good one.”
As with other machinery at Mixon’s, Dean Mixon is the go-to fellow when maintenance is needed.
Although it changes day-to-day, Dean estimates Broghie orders are split about 50-50 between corn and wheat varieties.
Most of those ordering the Broghies are individuals, who find them online on the Mixon web site. The Broghies are also sold in the store.
The Mixons are grateful to have the new product line.
“Everyone is hurting right now. We counted on having our Canadian and European visitors and they aren’t here,” Janet Mixon said. “It seems like we are into something new all the time.”
Mixon Fruit Farms is open 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. For more information, call 941-748-5829.
This story was originally published February 12, 2021 at 12:00 AM.
