Day 11 of Mentor on Road, USA

"The will is not free - it is a phenomenon bound by cause and effect - but there is something behind the will which is free."

-Swami Vivekananda

Day 11 of Mentor on Road, USA was mainly a journey from Charlotte to Atlanta. We started the day in Charlotte with an effective interaction with start-ups at HQ Packard. In all, we met 5 start-ups, which we would be connecting to India to explore further opportunities.

HQ Packard is on a mission to foster inclusive communities of entrepreneurs who create lasting economic and social impact. They create an environment that will empower others to create purpose-driven businesses and to leave the world better than they found it, and are addressing two major challenges that entrepreneurs face:

• Building a trusted support community  
• Gaining access to flexible, affordable office space

Also, they support growth oriented, community minded, and impact driven entrepreneurs through tailored “Mind, Body, Business, and Community” resources such as workshops, expert mentorship, online healthcare services, wellness coaching, software and financial discounts, volunteer opportunities, networking and more.

While we were on our way to Atlanta, we drove down to Strawberry Hill and visited the beautiful strawberry and peach farms where we had the world’s most delicious homemade strawberry ice-cream. We learned about some great agricultural machinery and equipment. The people in the Country Side are very humble and friendly. 

As of 2017, Strawberry Hill U.S.A. is the largest strawberry farm in SC with 115 acres. Peaches are their primary crop with close to 1,000 acres in production. They have also ventured into growing summer squash, cucumbers, cantaloupes, runner beans and pumpkins.

Strawberry Hill

Stopped for lunch at Gaffeny which is a beautiful countryside of USA.

Gaffney is a city in and the seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the Upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is known as the "Peach Capital of South Carolina". It is the principal city of the Gaffney, South Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area (population 55,662 according to 2012 estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau), which includes all of Cherokee county and which is further included in the greater Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina combined statistical area (population 1,384,996 according to year 2012 U.S. Census Bureau estimates).

After a long exhausting yet fun-filled journey, we finally reached our destination, Atlanta, in the evening. We look forward to a productive day tomorrow.

Jai ho! (Let victory be yours)