We were lucky to catch up with Johnny Hunter recently and have shared our conversation below.
Johnny, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.
So we had built the rice mill, launched the brand, hired a sales director and were basically dead in the water. We had no distribution, no retail partners, no ecommerce and were 6 months in trying to figure out what the hell we were doing. We ended up at some random little food show in Kansas City, MO and were approached by a store manager from Hy-Vee in Springfield, MO. She wanted to bring in the product! When we asked her how the process worked and what corporate would need from us she informed us that all Hy-Vee store managers have the authority to bring in new products without corporate sign off. We weren’t all too smart at that time but it got me thinking “just how many Hy-Vee’s are there anyway??” Turns out there was well over 200! From there we started road tripping every other week all over the Midwest to meet with store managers. We ended up landing about 65 with no distribution, just DSD. After that other regional chains took notice and we started gathering some momentum. We learned that this business is a classic “chicken or the egg” model. When we approached the retailers they wanted to know what distributors we worked with….when we approached the distributors they wanted to know what retailers already carried us. It felt wrong because it was. Our food system is not designed for farmer success, it’s been a real grind to get here.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Johnny Hunter, and I’m one of the owners of Castor River Incorporated, a vertically integrated agricultural business in southeastern Missouri. My journey into this industry is deeply rooted in family and a commitment to changing the way we grow food. I come from a long line of farmers, and while agriculture has always been in my blood, my focus has evolved far beyond traditional farming—into regenerative agriculture, food manufacturing, and building a new food economy that prioritizes soil health, sustainability, and consumer trust.
At Castor River, we specialize in regenerative rice farming, but our operation extends from farmland ownership and development to farming, milling, packaging, distribution, and direct-to-consumer sales. We operate without tilling, without flooding, without burning fields, and without using fungicides or insecticides. Instead, we focus on building soil health through natural, regenerative methods, like cover cropping every acre. Our approach not only improves the land—it also produces a cleaner, healthier product for consumers.
What sets us apart is our approach to land and food. For far too long nature has been nature and farming has been farming. We believe that bringing these worlds back together, as originally designed, leads to healthier outcomes for the planet and it’s people.
The regenerative food market is seeing tremendous growth, and we’re positioned to scale to meet this demand. Consumers are looking for better food, transparency, and sustainability, and we offer all three. We’re already in major retailers like Walmart, Whole Foods Florida, The Fresh Market, Schnucks, and Dierbergs, and we’re expanding into food service with restaurant chains and universities.
What I’m most proud of is that we’re not just selling rice—we’re proving that regenerative agriculture is the future and that it can be done at scale. We’re building something that’s not only good for business but good for the planet.
For those who don’t know us yet, Castor River Habitat & Farm is more than a brand—it’s a movement. Whether you’re an investor, a buyer, or a consumer, I’d invite you to be a part of the Fourth Food Revolution. Because food should do more than feed us—it should heal the land, nourish people, and create a legacy of good.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
There’s so much “business theory” on the book shelf today that it’s really hard to decide what to choose. The thing that I always try to pay attention to is the source of information or the author. So many “thought leaders” in business today have never really created anything other than their thought leadership. I follow and listen to people that have been through hell and come out the other side. I love to listen to their war stories, how they fought through and made it or didn’t make it. So many successful people I’ve met have had way more failures than they have wins. The thing that sets them apart is that they don’t quit, they don’t give up. Success is a journey. No journeys are the same. I’ve had to learn to quit comparing my journey to someone else’s that went faster or seems easier. Mine is unique along with everyone else’s. The point for me is that I’m happiest in the grind, creating things, and once I get to my destination then I’m usually hurling myself right back into another one…or two. Study wealthy people, they are the most talked about demographic on the planet but least studied. Success leaves clues.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
In my personal transformation from a simple farm kid to the leader of a food revolution I’ve had to unlearn lots of things. The world desperately wants people to fit inside boxes where you’re easy to measure and understand. I had to learn to get real damn comfortable with making people uncomfortable including myself. I had to learn that the vision I had for my future and my lifestyle was good and right. So what that I was breaking industry norms and was alienated in my community. So what that it cost me some people that no longer fit into my life. I had to unlearn expectations. The only expectation that I truly have to live up to are my own. I have unreasonable expectations of myself and often of the people around me. It’s ok, it’s what’s elevating my existence and allowing me the opportunity to leave this place better than I found it. I had to unlearn taking advice from everybody that wants to give it. If I wouldn’t trade places with you in life then chances are I’m going to carefully measure the advice you’re giving me. If you’re living a better life than me, have a better business than me, take better and longer vacations than me, are happier in life than me then I’m hanging on your every word.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.castorriverfarms.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/castorriverhabitatandfarm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CastorRiverFarms/
- Youtube: @Castorriverhabitatandfarm
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