Page 46 - February2019

SUNSHINE STATE’S SPRING PRODUCE SHINES
Buyers bene t from Florida’s large product variety, lower logistics costs. BY DOUG OHLEMEIER
Florida o ers a variety of produce that can ll a retailer’s shopping order. As the Sunshine State grows a variety of produce, retail and wholesale buyers can nd almost every produce item
they need during Florida’s spring season. “For many vegetables, Florida is the only producer during much of the spring; it’s an
important domestic source during this window,” says Jason Wyatt, director of sales and business development for Nogales, AZ’s PennRose Farms, LLC, which grows and ships from Wimauma, FL. “Our season allows for consis- tency of supply and quality. Customers can rely on loading in one general area of production for most of the year. It also allows for us to manage through weather events that happen during the course of the season.”
Although Florida’s seasonal production begins in the fall, the biggest volumes of many commodities, including sweet corn, green beans and tomatoes, typically commence in April.
FAVORABLE GROWING DISPOSITION
“Florida’s sunny, warm days and cool evenings, soil, water and abundance of acres available for agriculture make it an ideal loca- tion for produce production during the winter and spring,” says Veronique Sallin, vice pres- ident of IMG Citrus, Inc., which grows and ships citrus from Vero Beach, FL.
“Retailers give priority to local or U.S.-
grown produce over imported. Florida citrus, in particular, plays a crucial role with a bounty of in-season grapefruit, tangerines and oranges ready for garnishing produce aisles with color, fragrance and freshness.”
Florida provides a higher-volume role in supplying produce. “Sourcing from Florida is not like sourcing from a local, or even a regional, program that creates ine ciencies due to their size,” says Je rey Goodale, director of domestic sales for Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Inc., headquartered in Oviedo, FL. “Florida farmers have developed farming practices that allow us to provide fruits and vegetables that consistently have quality, volume and compet- itive pricing. Florida producers provide such a large variety of products, with great quality and in such high volume, that being the primary or sole supply for customer warehouses is standard procedure.”
Retailers value Florida’s position. “Florida produce is very important in our stores,” says Tommy Melton, produce supervisor for Elrod’s Cost Plus Supermarket in Dallas, TX. Elrod’s is a part of the Carrollton, TX-based GE Food- land, which operates four Foodland Markets and ve Elrod’s in the Texas Metroplex. Elrod’s sells many Florida oranges, strawberries and sweet corn. “Florida produce is very good,” he says. “It a ects us when they have weather issues; when freezes hit, it a ects us badly. We look forward to Florida produce coming in. It’s
a critical part of our merchandising.”
ough Florida grows and ships some type of fresh citrus from September through June, it’s toward the latter part of the season when avors really shine for Valencia oranges, which are popular for fresh juicing, says Russell Kiger, sales manager of DLF International, Inc., which ships from Fort Pierce, FL, in the Indian River growing region. “We have the highest quality of orange juice in the world as we get into our later varieties,” he says. Additionally, by the time buyers switch to West Coast fruit,
freight rates have usually escalated, says Kiger. Because of the taste and quality, buyers prefer to continue sourcing oranges and grapefruit from Florida for the entire season, explains Kiger. “ e avor and juice content are big parts of it,” he says. “ ere’s a world of di erence in aroma and avor of Florida fruit. ese buyers will stay in Florida as long as possible before throwing in the towel and switching to California Valencias. ey prefer
to stay in Florida as long as the fruit holds up.”
DREAMS OF THE TROPICS
Florida produce also helps shoppers who often experience bone-chilling temperatures during the desolate winter months. “Florida can bring a wide variety of fresh produce during the cold months up North,” says Mary Ostlund, director of marketing for Brooks Tropicals LLC, Homestead, FL. “ at domestic point-
46 / FEBRUARY 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS