UNC graduate Patrick Mateer has been named to Forbes 30 under 30 List for Social Entrepreneurs, a list that recognizes young entrepreneurs leading businesses as a way to create positive change throughout the world.

Mateer’s business, Seal the Seasons, makes local, seasonally grown crops such as strawberries and blackberries available year-round by freezing them and selling them regionally.

His focus has always been local, and he has no plans of changing that regardless of the international recognition.

“We see that doing things locally can reduce the carbon footprint and create jobs for our local economy, as well as having a better tasting and more nutritious local product,” said Mateer.

The growth of his business has been astronomical – from The Cube social business incubator at UNC’s Campus Y to selling to regional Harris Teeters, Whole Foods and Lowes Foods, to distributing North Carolina local frozen produce across the state.

Seal the Seasons will soon begin selling Florida and Georgia produce in those respective states and will do the same in New Jersey and New York in January.

“We want to keep our products local,” said Mateer. “We don’t want to sell North Carolina products too far away. The best thing we can do is work with new local farmers, freeze and source the products locally, and sell it locally in new places.”

Outside of expanding geographically, Mateer wants to make healthy, locally grown foods available for shoppers of all income levels.

“We’re here to make local food available for everybody,” said Mateer. “We take that work ‘everybody’ very seriously. We’re not just creating this product for a high class or upper class shopper.”

Seal the Seasons products are available in the majority of local grocery stores.

Related Stories
‹
North Carolina Court Throws Out Conviction of Man With Guns Inside Car on Campus
An appeals court said a North Carolina man living in his car was wrongfully convicted when he parked near UNC Hospitals in 2021.
East Franklin Street Property, Former Home of 'The Library,' Sold
The property at 120 East Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill has been sold. The property was most recently the home of the bar The Library, which closed in June of 2021. The 120 East Franklin property is located on the same block as UNC’s planned Admissions and Visitor Center. The property was sold to […]
'Football As It Should Be': Chelsea and Wrexham Show Off Chapel Hill to the World
Chelsea beat Wrexham 5-0 in Kenan Stadium Wednesday night, and Chapel Hill won. Fans from all over the country and the world flocked to Orange County to watch a soccer game in the dog days of July, which would have seemed like a pipe dream even six months ago. Actually, whatever the fanciful stage of […]
Chelsea vs. Wrexham: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Kickoff Time
Chelsea and Wrexham will take the pitch inside Kenan Stadium Wednesday night in front of a sold-out crowd and a national television audience. The match may only be a friendly exhibition, but it will provide American fans a rare opportunity to see European soccer clubs play in the United States. If you aren’t going to […]
'The Lads Are Blown Away': Chelsea, Wrexham Enjoying Chapel Hill Experience
The British aren’t coming; they’re already here. Chelsea and Wrexham have arrived in Chapel Hill ahead of their sold-out exhibition match at Kenan Stadium on Wednesday night. Representatives from the two clubs met with the media on Tuesday at the stadium in their first public appearances since coming to North Carolina. Just a few feet […]
UNC Graduate Student Michael Beauregard Running for Chapel Hill Town Council
Michael Beauregard, a UNC graduate student who received his bachelor’s degree from the school in 2022, announced his campaign for the Chapel Hill Town Council on Wednesday. Beauregard will be holding an official campaign launch event next Tuesday at the Franklin Street bar Might As Well. https://twitter.com/MDBforCH/status/1666607897810182144 According to Beauregard’s announcement on social media, his […]
Part of South Columbia Street, Sidewalk Closed Until March 2023
One lane of traffic on the east side of South Columbia Street and the adjacent sidewalk will be closed through March 2023 for steam tunnel repairs, according to an update the university shared on Tuesday. The lane and sidewalk were closed to traffic on Monday. Access to Medical Drive, which intersects with South Columbia Street […]
Drink Tampering and Physical Assault Reported at UNC Frat House
UNC Police have received a report of an alleged incident of drink tampering and physical assault at 216 East Rosemary Street in Chapel Hill, which is the location of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity house. The alleged incident took place on August 26. !AlertCarolina! Crime Alert: UNC Police received report of alleged drink tampering and […]
Chapel Hill Police Warns Against Student Parking Spot Scam
The Chapel Hill Police Department is warning community members against scams around campus parking spots. On Thursday, the department tweeted they’d received two reports from community members about the scam, which originated from an advertisement on Facebook. ⚠ 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐦⚠ We’ve taken 2️⃣ reports from community members who paid for what they thought […]
Tar Heel Bikes Program To End May 31
Tar Heel Bikes, the UNC campus bikeshare program, will end May 31 of this year with the expiration of its contract, UNC announced last week. Tar Heel Bikes, the campus bikeshare program, will end May 31. The University is in the process of selecting a new bikeshare provider and plans to announce a new service […]
›