CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT
For nearly a century, Mouzin Brothers Farms has been defined by hard work, adaptability, and a commitment to quality that spans four generations. Founded in 1935 by Julius Mouzin Sr. in southern Indiana, the family’s operation began with a handful of acres and horse-drawn plows. Today, the farm stretches across Indiana, Illinois, Florida, and Georgia, growing watermelons, corn, cantaloupe, pumpkins, squash, soybeans, wheat, and honey on over 10,000 acres.
Despite the scale, the mission remains rooted in Julius Mouzin’s original values: delivering high-quality produce through knowledge, food safety, freshness, and responsible farming.
From the ground up
Brady Mouzin, now Director of Sales and Operations, is part of the fourth generation carrying the farm forward. His education in agriculture began long before he ever stepped into an office.
“When I was five or six, I started working in the fields,” he says. “Every spring break I’d be dropping watermelon seeds.” Long summer days were spent alongside his parents and grandparents, learning every job from picking to packing to shipping.
“I’m a better leader because I grew into it,” Brady says.
Going direct to retail
One of the most significant turning points for the farm came when the Mouzins began selling directly to retailers. The opportunity emerged through a relationship Brady’s father built with a Kroger buyer who valued their commitment to quality.
“They had really high buying standards and decided to connect to him,” Brady recalls. “It was better than going through a middleman, who didn’t want to have such high standards.”
That one connection opened doors. Walmart followed after a buyer noticed the Mouzin Brothers label during a site visit. “Walmart had seen our label and stopped by. They were impressed with our spotless facility,” he says. Costco and other major retailers came next.
Becoming a direct-to-retail supplier required more than great produce. The farm had to handle food safety programs, packaging, logistics, compliance, and customer expectations — responsibilities typically owned by large distributors.
“Retailers require more and more over time,” Brady says. “You have to be ambitious enough to take control of the situation.”
Managing their own sales came with trade-offs. “If you sell your own stuff, you’ll take a yield hit,” he explains. With more accounts to support, the farm expanded its team. “We now have three full-time people, including me, dedicated to the sales piece. Then we have a full accounting staff for both the farming operation and the brokering operation.”
Still, gaining direct control of their market gave the Mouzins stability, flexibility, and resilience. Working with grower partners and brokering in the open market helped them weather challenges. When severe storms hit farms in Florida, Georgia, and Indiana in the same year, the impact was devastating. “It erased decades of progress in one year,” he says. Geographic diversification helped the Mouzins withstand the loss.
Building systems that last
Even with diversification, family farms face mounting challenges. Rising input costs and flat produce prices continue to squeeze margins. Brady points to sweet corn as an example: crates that sold for $14.99 in 2009 now sell for even less today, while the cost to grow them has doubled.
“It’s a matter of survival,” he says.
To stay ahead, the Mouzins have invested in systems and long-term structure. They’ve formalized their mission and vision, introduced five-year strategic planning, and built a level of organizational rigor that matches the complexity of a multistate operation.
“When you’re small, one person remembers how things are done,” Brady says. “In a large business, you need structure. There are too many moving parts.”
Partnerships rooted in trust
As the business expanded, labor and compliance grew increasingly complex — especially around H-2A and CDL drivers. That’s when the partnership with Seso began.
“We ended up with Seso by necessity,” Brady says. “We needed H-2A CDL drivers, and it became far too complicated for anyone to manage. Seso became a one-stop shop for figuring out all our issues and moving forward correctly.”
Beyond recruitment, Seso’s support with compliance, training, documentation, and regulatory navigation has given the team peace of mind. “When dealing with something as regulated as H-2A, it’s nice to have a one-stop shop that you can trust,” he says.
To Brady, partners like Seso are essential to the future of Mouzin Brothers Farms — not just to survive, but to thrive.
“There’s so much uncertainty in farming, especially around labor. Partners like Seso help us spend less time reacting and more time building the future we want.”
Photos courtesy of Mouzin Brothers Farms.
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