When the sisters behind 3 Farm Daughters were growing up in Grand Forks, North Dakota, a region known for its nutrient-rich black soil and robust agricultural community, it wasn’t unusual for Annie Gorder, Grace Lunski, and Mollie Ficocello (nées Sproule) to help out their parents by bringing out food to the fields or accompanying them on equipment ride-alongs. While they all left their hometown to pursue higher education, the passion for entrepreneurship eventually brought them back to start a business that sells pasta with the high-quality wheat flour and semolina that their family has long cultivated on Sproule Farms.
From left: Annie Gorder, Mollie Ficocello, and Grace Lunski, co-founders of 3 Farm DaughtersIn 2020, the sisters officially launched 3 Farm Daughters, birthed their first babies, and expanded into 38 retail stores by the end of the year. But they knew that to grow from a local to a nationwide brand, they’d need a little bit of help. “We wanted to sell in Amazon’s store since it’s so widely shopped,” says Ficocello, “especially since a lot of those customers overlap with our own customers.”
Expanding their small business with help from Amazon
Ficocello and her sisters, who were avid Amazon shoppers before launching the business, say, “Amazon is a huge part of everyone’s life.” But while they wanted to launch their product on what they considered America’s main shopping center, the only selling experience they’d had with selling in Amazon’s store was unloading their marketing and law textbooks during their university days. Setting up their brand into brick-and-mortar shops took up the majority of their time, so when they wanted to scale, they thought of the resources from Amazon, where more than 60% of sales come from independent sellers, most of which are small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), for example, is an optional program that helps sellers outsource order fulfillment and offers fast delivery, including same-day and next day through Prime. In addition to handling customer service and returns, Amazon can pick up, store, and deliver directly to customers—sellers can focus on inventing great products and driving business growth.
FBA offers cost-effective shipping, with rates that are 70% less per unit than comparable premium options from other U.S. carriers, making it one of the best ways independent sellers can save time and money. This makes a huge difference to 3 Farm Daughters: “As soon as we were set up,” says Ficocello, “we could just trust in Amazon.”
3 Farm Daughters made the most of using Seller Central, which provides all Amazon sellers with a tool kit for listing, pricing, and promoting products. It offers fulfillment options, ad solutions, specialty programs, access to business development representatives, and more. The co-founders also opted into other paid services like Amazon Ads. According to a survey by the Small Business Roundtable, 91% of SMBs that sell in Amazon’s store agree that they do so for the wide variety of tools and services, and 96% of SMBs who sell in Amazon’s store agree that Amazon provides overall value to their business.
Growing their brand and strengthening their community roots
Since the services Amazon offers have simplified the selling process for 3 Farm Daughters, the sisters have expanded their sales from their immediate regional area to all 50 states and Canada. They are now a dedicated team of about 10 employees—including staff who specifically manage marketing, finance, and analytics—and they partner with different agencies to manage their business. The brand still maintains a presence in more than 1,300 grocery stores across the country, including Albertsons, Fresh Thyme, and Whole Foods Market. Thanks to the number of SMBs that sell in Amazon's store, independent sellers like 3 Farm Daughters have employed more than 2 million people in the U.S. to support their Amazon-related businesses.
The extended family is also able to continue an important tradition in their community: giving back. Since 2012, Sproule Farms—and now along with 3 Farm Daughters—has continued to host Cans 4 Corn, an annual fundraiser where people can donate canned goods to the Salvation Army in exchange for sweet corn and potatoes. Every year, the farm plants over 1.5 acres of corn for the event, which increases year over year with more food and money being distributed back to the community.
3 Farm Daughters has come a long way from that day in October 2019 when the founders first discussed the possibility of launching a better-for-you food company. Earlier in 2025, Progressive Farmer magazine named 3 Farm Daughters among its Best Young Farmers & Ranchers cohort as examples of the future of agriculture.
This year also marks the first time that the company is able to zero in on a dedicated advertising budget. “Within just the first three months of 2025, we have been able to surpass our 2024 total sales on Amazon,” Ficocello says, “and look forward to what the rest of the year has in store.”
