Oct 29, 2024

Naturipe Farms increases Sunshine State strawberry production

Naturipe Farms is expanding its strawberry holdings in the Sunshine State.

The global berry producer has enlarged its Florida strawberry operations by bringing more than 200 acres of strawberries into Central Florida.

The Chavez family of Berry Red Farms in Duette, Florida, is at the heart of the expansion. Since 2004, Merced and Dee Chavez have transformed their initial six leased acres into a flourishing 200-acre strawberry operation which is located southeast of the Tampa Bay metropolitan area.

“We are thrilled to offer our retailers more local options for stocking sweet, succulent strawberries,” Jim Roberts, Naturipe Farms’ president of sales, said in a news release.

“Our experience growing strawberries, along with blueberries and other produce in Florida, directly benefits both the retailer and the customer. We’re looking forward to growing our operations in Florida even further as we move forward.”

The expansion boasts benefits for retailers and customers. In addition to increased availability of Naturipe’s strawberries for retailers in the region, the strawberries will have a decreased transit distance, longer growing seasons, and will be on the shelves closer to their harvest, resulting in optimal freshness, according to the release.

For more information, visit naturipefarms.com.