HISTORY

For in Him we live and move and have our being.
Acts 17:38

In Loving Memory
Of
Bryan Grimes, Jr.
March 28, 1939-December 29, 2006

Bryan Grimes, Jr. was a gentle and kind man whose love for his family was only surpassed by the love he had for his Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. His earthly life ended at Pitt County Memorial Hospital on Friday December 29, 2006. Bryan went quietly through life and will be remembered for his kindness and many who never knew him benefited from his generosity. The world recognizes and applauds a man whose success is measured by his worldly possessions, but we honor this man for the treasures he built up in Heaven which he now possesses. A man of strength, his courage was shown in the battle he fought for so many years against Lyme disease and the destruction it had on his body. He fought bravely, never complaining and now he is seated in high places free from the bondage of this disease. A light has gone out here in our lives, but we know that Heaven has a bright new star.

Bryan Grimes, Jr., 67, was born in Washington, North Carolina, the first child of the late Bryan and Bobby Musgrave Grimes. He graduated from Washington High School in 1957 and the University of North Carolina in 1961. After college he became a commissioned officer in the USAF and served for a period of time in Viet Nam. Since 1970 he has been self employed in various businesses. In 1981, he, along with his wife and son started Harvest Time Foods, Inc. which produces Anne’s Flat Dumplings. He retired as president in 1995 because of his illness and his son Bryan Grimes, III became president. Before his illness he was a member of the Lion’s Club and the Toastmaster’s Club. He was a lifetime member of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s International. He was a devoted member of Immanuel Free Will Baptist Church in Winterville and loved the people there.

He is survived by his wife of 45 years Mildred Anne Briley Grimes, son Bryan Grimes, III, his wife Windy and granddaughter Elizabeth Anne. He is also survived by brothers William Demsie Grimes, James Robert Grimes, and John Wharton Grimes. His sister Martha Lewis Grimes Harding also survives him.

Bryan and Anne Grimes

Harvest Time Foods, Inc. began as a home operation in 1981 in a converted carport by Bryan Grimes, Jr., his wife Anne, and their son Bryan Grimes, III (B.G.), a student at East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. became the first home for the company as they began marketing packaged frozen dough strips called Anne's Pastry.

This dough product is the main component in a regional dish cooked in Eastern North Carolina called chicken pastry and traditionally served for Sunday dinner.

Believing this business venture was divine inspiration from God, the family began to enthusiastically market their product locally in supermarkets. In each package there was a scripture verse from the Bible providing food for the soul as well as food for the body. Now the scripture is printed on the package.

Anne's Pastry was initially packed in a foil box, but was later changed to an over wrapped box. A new logo was designed by a graphic artist friend and fellow Christian, Marcie Dawson. The now familiar red and yellow logo is the company's trademark. Always looking for new marketing ideas and making the product easier for the customer to use, the company is launching a new package in our new market areas that eliminates the paper between layers with stacks of dough that can be easily separated. The new product will be found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.

Customers were very receptive to the convenience of the packaged pastry and not having to clean their kitchens after making it by hand. The product began to sell very well in supermarkets as word of mouth became a powerful tool in getting Anne's Pastry into kitchens all over North Carolina.

It didn't take long for letters to start arriving from other regions asking for Anne's Pastry. It was apparent that people elsewhere ate the same product but called them chicken and dumplings, chicken stew, chicken slick, and pot pie. Finding a name for the product that would be recognizable to customers in other regions became a task. They first changed the name to Anne's Dumplings For Chicken (Thin Pastry Strips), but as markets grew the name was changed to Anne's Flat Dumplings (Thin Pastry Strips). New recipes were developed for other uses for the product such as lasagna, casseroles, ravioli, baked crackers, fried sugared pastry, and other recipes.

The Grimes family has worked steadfastly to bring to the consumer the finest products by adding state of the art production lines and cryogenic freezing. They have developed other types of dumplings for areas that do not eat the traditional flat dumplings popular in Eastern North Carolina. As the market expanded, their products were not only sold to grocery warehouses for distribution to supermarkets, but to food service distributors that sell to restaurants, hospitals, and day care centers.

Harvest Time Foods has grown tremendously since the small beginnings in their carport and distribution is now in most states East of the Mississippi and some states West of it. The company outgrew the carport and two other buildings before building the current facility outside Ayden, N.C. in 1990. They added additional storage space in 1995 and additional freezer space in 1998 and 2001. The company's owners believe that teamwork is essential to the success and growth of a business even when divine inspiration has set it into motion.

Harvest Time Foods believes in being a community partner and has worked with numerous feeding programs. When hurricanes Dennis and Floyd came to North Carolina leaving destruction and flooding, they were there with food and helping hands. When hurricane Mitch swept across Honduras leaving many homeless, the company sent a Seatrain with 17 tons of food to a ministry there for distribution in the mountainous regions.

In 1992 Entrepreneur Magazine and MasterCard International presented Bryan and Anne Grimes the Southern Region L. E. A. P. Award (Leadership in Entrepreneurial Achievement and Philanthropy). The Small Business Association of North Carolina recognized the company as the 1992 Small Business for North Carolina. Subsequently, the National SBA awarded them the Region IV Small Business of the Year for 1992.

Harvest Time Foods works closely with North Carolina's Department of Agriculture. You will find Anne's Old Fashioned Food Products represented at the Flavors of Carolina shows not only in North Carolina, but in other states such as Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Alabama, and Missouri.

The Goodness Grows logo is proudly displayed on all their retail dumpling products. Anne Grimes was inducted into the Goodness Grows Hall of Fame in 1994.

B. G. Grimes worked full time as general manager while attending East Carolina University. In 1987 he received a degree in accounting and business. In 1993 he married Windy Johnson from Smithfield, N.C. Miracle baby Elizabeth Anne Grimes (Beth Anne) was born July 13, 1995 weighing in at 2 lbs. 6 oz .

Bryan Grimes, Jr. passed the reins over to B.G. in 1995 as his health declined. In addition to being general manager, B. G. assumed the duties of president. Anne Grimes serves as secretary-treasurer and Windy Grimes is the company vice president. Little Beth Anne is the "Boss".

Still a family owned business, the Grimes family's desire is to set an example for their employees, customers, and vendors as to honesty, integrity, and good work ethics. They recognize that without God's help and excellent employees, the above success story could not be written.

The philosophy of the Grimes family is aptly stated on the dedication plaque in their entrance foyer and reads thus: "This building and grounds are dedicated to the glory of God, and we declare that we shall go forth in spirit and truth proclaiming that Jesus is Lord over all that we do, all that we are, and all that we have."

Elizabeth Anne, our pride and joy, no longer a tiny thing, but a young lady, reminds us everyday as we see her grow that our God is a miracle Worker.