Florida’s Wholesale Marketplace

According to Johnson, not only are distributors experiencing tougher safety demands from retailers, but foodservice buyers and distributors “have and continue to be equally demanding of more stringent procedures.”

“All the retailers are adamant about food safety,” comments Robert Wilhelm, owner of Bova Fresh, LLC, based in Boca Raton. “We have a food safety policy here, and our growers adhere to it as well. We demand paperwork from everyone we buy from, but retailers are getting more and more stringent about it.”

While Wilhelm says all the big chains are putting increased food safety pressure on wholesalers, some of the mom-and-pop or smaller stores are getting tougher on food safety as well.

Jimmy Myrick acknowledges the tighter food safety trend as well. “We all go get our audits,” he says, “and do the best we can to handle the product safely.”

FRESH FORUM
Over the last year or two, what has challenged your business the most?

Robert Wilhelm, Bova Fresh, LLC
Labor is probably the biggest issue in terms of growing in Florida and on the East Coast. You’ve got to take care of the [workers] picking for you; if you don’t take care of them, they’ll go somewhere else. That’s definitely going to be the biggest challenge for us as a new company starting our first couple of growing seasons—to secure labor and hopefully get the labor back for the following year.

Jimmy Myrick, Edward L. Myrick Produce, Inc.
Finding good, legal labor is the biggest challenge.

Jim Shepherd, Gulfshore Produce, Inc.
Our biggest challenge has been trying to keep our heads above water. Costs are phenomenal and we try to get the best return we can. But the last three or four years, it’s been tough.

Jay Johnson, JGL Produce Company, Inc.
The biggest challenge continues to be field harvest labor shortages; this is a national problem.

Gary Wishnatzki, Wish Farms
The greatest challenge to agriculture nationwide continues to be the availability of skilled farm workers.

Storm Clouds
Of course, even the Sunshine State has its fair share of rainy or stormy days in the perishables industry. Florida’s produce growers, wholesalers, and distributors are struggling with a number of challenges, including the ongoing and contentious labor shortage.

“The fresh produce trade in Florida is made up of many dynamic and resilient families and large agribusiness companies,” says JGL Produce’s Johnson. “They will continue to adapt to challenges, but the labor shortage has to be solved or the majority of our fresh fruits and vegetables will have to be imported.”