CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN – Pastor Clinton Brown is no stranger to watermelon.
The self-proclaimed “field boy” began helping his circle of relatives grow black seed watermelons and a lot of other crops on the Mississippi relative circle farm when he was only four years old. Later, he moved to the world “in Georgia, where he spent the last three decades.
Then, when Brown arrived in Brooklyn five months ago and tried to buy his favorite snack, he was surprised.
“I took it home and cut it up and it wasn’t sweet, it had no seeds, I couldn’t. I had paid all that money for that watermelon,” said Brown, who had paid a “scandalous” $ 39 for the fruit.
The experiment, Brown learned, was not in New York, thanks to an era of genetically modified seedless watermelons and long journeys from farms where the fruit was in season.
And that gave him an idea.
“I said to my dear, “I’ll bring watermelon to Brooklyn, ” said Brown.
The Georgian shepherd, owner of a trucking business, began transporting watermelons to the municipality on July 1, thinking it might be a way to earn additional cash on July 4, as the coronavirus had slowed down its own old shipments.
But the good fortune he discovered turned what Brown imagined as a transient-looking concert into a company in his own right.
Since then, Brown has sold hundreds, if thousands, of $10 or $15 Black Seed Sangria watermelons from the back of his truck to enthusiastic Brooklyn residents on a corner of Crown Heights.
“They can’t locate them, so they’re delighted,” he said. It started as an Array . . . some other way to get a source of income and it’s become a genuine and valid business. “
The pastor is now running to take his to the next level.
With his girlfriend, Vel, he discovered several outlets to buy his product and is working on the brand. One day, he says, he hopes to set up his own fruit stall in a local store.
Brown said he could use his trucking company to turn a summer business into a year-round business by following the product in the season.
He has made expeditions visiting estates in 3 states so far.
“If they’re in Canada, I can choose them. If you’re in New York, I can choose you. If they’re in California, I can pick them,” Brown said. ” That’s what makes our business different. “
The trucking company also means you can leave your watermelons in the refrigerator until they’re ready to sell, Brown said, which means they stay cold days, if not weeks, longer than New Yorkers could find in their fruits and vegetables. . stand on the sidewalk.
“Seven days later, it’s like he’s being taken out of the vineyard,” he says.
And, as a pastor, Brown said the component of the company’s expansion will be love. He hopes to establish discounted watermelon sales at resorts near NYCHA.
Doing this, like bringing authentic black seed watermelons to Brooklyn in the top spot, is personal,” he said.
“It’s a component of African-American heritage,” Brown said. ” All the over-40s spent summers at their grandmother or grandfather’s house, sitting on the porch eating watermelon and spitting seeds, telling stories and remembering. “
“Watermelon is our culture. It’s our fruit. “
Brown and his van are on the corner of Bedford Avenue and Empire Boulevard seven days a week, starting at 1 p. m. at five o’clock in the afternoon on weekdays and from 12:30 a. m. to 6 p. m. Saturdays and Sundays. Also delivered for a $10 package in Brooklyn: (470) five88-60five7
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