Hugh Hinton Branch, considered the “Sweet Corn King” and a pillar in the sweet corn industry, died on Jan. 23 at the age of 95 in Belle Glade, FL.

Mr. Branch was an icon in the produce industry, starting his 60-year career in 1957 as the founder of Hugh Branch Inc., known today as Branch: A Family of Farms.

“Hugh’s company is the sweet corn leader and they ship more sweet corn than anyone in the country,” said Paul Allen, co-owner and president of R.C. Hatton, who spoke at his funeral. “In 45 years of shipping corn, if you lined every single crate up in a line, it would go around the planet twice. It was well over 160 million crates, which is enough for every single person on the planet to have one ear to eat.”

A major driver of R.C. Hatton’s growth was the partnership that bloomed between Mr. Branch and company founder Roger Hatton, which propelled the company to success.

“We’ve been with him for 60 years and his company is the only one to have ever shipped any item from our farms,” Allen said. “There’s just not that many people in this industry you can have that kind of relationship with.”

Mr. Branch was considered a pioneer, a foresighted leader and an innovator by all he did business with.

But it wasn’t just the sweet corn industry where Mr. Branch shined as a leader and visionary. Born on June 29, 1924 in the small town of Bonnie Clabber Bluff, GA, Mr. Branch would lead a life full of successes and happiness with his family.

After graduating with the Pahokee Blue Devil class of 1944, he served in the U.S. Army European Theater of Operations. He was known for his strong work ethic and caring nature.

It was in 1957 that Mr. Branch founded Hugh Branch Inc., with the encouragement of his wife, Barbara, and brother Julian. The business saw success early and it quickly grew into one of the largest marketers of vegetables throughout the United States.

Sweet corn became its main product, and Hugh Branch Inc. would become the largest distributor of fresh sweet corn in the world thanks to Mr. Branch’s drive and dedication.

When Mr. Branch retired in 2007 at the age of 82, the company was still going strong, run by the devoted employees who acquired the business.

Brett Bergmann, current president and co-owner of Hugh Branch Inc., started working with Mr. Branch in 1993 and learned a lot from him through the years.

“Hugh filled many roles in my life. I was a young man when I first got into this business and he was there to show me the way,” he said. “There’s the side of Hugh in the business world, with the many successful accolades, but the other part of him is that he was a sincere, genuine human being.”

Mr. Branch’s business acumen was also off the charts, and he did things in the sweet corn industry that were never done before.

“Hugh had the foresight 60 years ago to embrace the sweet corn industry and he became synonymous with sweet corn for many decades,” Bergmann said. “It was that foresight that would put out forward pricing before it was really done, and he’s a pioneer and leader of his time.”

Bergmann added that a lot of people sought out his guidance and tutelage and Mr. Branch was always willing to help.

“Whether it was friendly competitors, or even retailers seeking information from him on market updates, they always knew that what he told them would be good,” Bergmann said. “Hugh’s integrity was incredibly strong, and he would never mislead anyone. He studied the market intricately, so he knew how things would unfold and he would always be factual.”

In addition to being a successful businessman and loving family man, Mr. Branch also served his community, acting as Pahokee City Commissioner in the early 2000s and taking on a role with the board of the local bank. His church home was the First United Methodist Church of Pahokee and he was a dedicated supporter there for many years as well.

“He was a very humble man and always gave credit to his team and just wanted to get up every morning and go to work, do his job and come home to his family,” Allen said. “He was a man of faith and very spiritual. He loved his lord and loved his family very much.”

According to Allen, Mr. Branch was one of his mentors, and his guidance and tutelage will live on through the many lives he touched along the way.

Mr. Branch is survived by his wife of 70 years, Barbara, and two daughters, Tammy and Kimberly.