For retailers, there are many benefits — and challenges — in procuring Florida’s fall produce.

The fall season — smack dab in the middle of hurricane season — can be challenging for Florida farmers when it comes to getting their produce to the market.

“Supply interruptions due to weather and ‘act of God’ events are always a concern to both farmers and retailers,” says Tony DiMare, president of both DiMare Fresh, headquartered in Arlington, TX, and DiMare Homestead, based in Homestead, FL. “This past year was very challenging for Florida farmers — as it was for most growers in North America — due to extreme weather events.”

PRODUCE CORNUCOPIA

Florida is one of the few states that produces and supplies fresh fruits and vegetables between September and May.

“Florida offers a diverse array of fresh produce in the fall and winter months, including snap beans, squash, cucumbers, bell peppers and leafy greens, which can complement Florida tomatoes and sweet corn in seasonal recipes,” says Susie McKinley, director, division of marketing and development at Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), Tallahassee, FL. “Florida also offers a variety of specialty citrus and strawberries, with supply steadily increasing as the season progresses.”

DiMare Fresh will offer grape, Roma and round tomatoes from its Ruskin, FL, location during the Florida fall season, which starts in mid-October and continues until the end of the year, says DiMare, as well as round tomatoes from its Homestead, FL, operation through the winter until mid-April.

“But the fall season in Florida can be very challenging from a growing standpoint because of the hurricane season.”

Justin Rowe, produce category business manager at Tops Markets, Buffalo, NY, says in the fall, Tops Markets offers Florida produce, including green peppers, zucchini, yellow squash and cucumbers, as well as citrus in October and strawberries in November.

“All of these categories are very important to our produce department,” he says.

The Florida fall produce that is grown and available through Kroger Delivery includes collard greens, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, cilantro, celery, lettuces, such as iceberg, romaine hearts, green leaf, red leaf and romaine, red, green, bok choy, napa and savoy cabbages, green onions, curly and Italian parsley, leeks, spinach, turnips and green beans, according to Krystal Diaz, e-commerce corporate affairs and communications manager, Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati, OH.

And don’t forget citrus. “We handle grapefruit, juicing oranges, navel oranges and tangerines,” says Derek Rodgers, director of sales and marketing at Florida Classic Growers Inc., a grower, packer, shipper and marketer based in Dundee, FL. “We have a very nice crop all the way around. The grapefruit and juice orange sizing are a little on the small side, but the quality is excellent.”

INFLATION IMPACT LINGERS

Inflation is another challenge facing produce growers and consumers during the fall and winter, and Rodgers says everyone is feeling its effects. “What we growers, retailers, and wholesalers must do is make sure we are putting top quality products on shelves. At these prices, consumers expect only the best.”

Rowe agrees. “Inflation is very real and sometimes an unavoidable fact. We do as much as we can to avoid passing along the cost increases from our suppliers, however, we can only absorb so much.

“In these times, it is important that our customers feel they have received value for their purchases. If we gain the trust from our customers that our Florida fall produce is top quality and fresh, then we think we have provided that value.”

DiMare says Florida helps retailers across the country stay competitive by providing fresh and locally grown products. “As a key supplier in the supply chain, Florida fills the needs of retailers with competitive pricing through a steady supply of products.”

Florida’s East Coast location gives it an advantage. “Imports from overseas and Mexico always create downward pressure on Florida farmers during the fall and winter,” says Jon Alderman, sales manager, Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Oviedo, FL. “But we provide celery, leaf lettuce, corn, and radishes to the East Coast with less freight. That increases freshness with shorter transit.”

As an East Coast retailer, Rowe agrees. “Being able to take miles out of the supply chain is always top of mind. Having the option to source these important items, such as citrus and berries from Florida, instead of California, cuts our miles on the road by more than half,” he says. “The cost savings that come with shorter transit times help us to stay competitive with our retails.”

FLORIDA FILLS THE GAP

Fall is a time of year when some U.S. growers are winding down their produce availability, so retailers can count on the abundance of Florida produce to pick up the slack. Florida’s temperate weather, from September to March, makes the Sunshine State one of the largest producers of fruits and vegetables from fall through spring.

“Retailers can set prices at reasonable price points and offer sales on Florida produce that will allow consumers to take advantage of the abundance of fruits and vegetables from Florida during this time,” says DiMare.

“Retailers can set prices at reasonable price points and offer sales on Florida produce that will allow consumers to take advantage of the abundance of fruits and vegetables from Florida.”
— Tony DiMare, DiMare Homestead, Homestead, FL

“Promotions can be customized and may include a combination of circular ads, in-store announcements, merchandising assets, recipes, social media campaigns, sampling events and more,” adds McKinley of FDACS.

“We encourage retailers to run promotions on abundant sizes and pack styles,” says Rodgers, of Florida Classic Growers, Inc. “We offer an aggressive price along with promotable volume.”

Diaz says Kroger customers can browse fresh Florida fall produce at Kroger.com or via the Kroger app. “We market Florida fruits and vegetables through various digital media outlets, as well as through traditional media platforms.”

Other ways that retailers can push Florida fall produce sales is through autumn-themed displays. Fruits and vegetables from Florida can be placed on displays and shelving that feature fall items, such as pumpkin pies, nuts, pumpkins, apples and candied apples, and spices, such as cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.

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Help is On-Hand

Retailers can drive sales of Florida fall produce by tapping into organizations set up to help stores push sales. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), headquartered in Tallahassee, FL, partners with retailers via its “Fresh From Florida” brand, which is supported by an annual consumer advertising campaign.

“With brand awareness at the consumer level at an all-time high, retailers can benefit from the targeted campaign, which includes a media mix of radio, TV, digital display, social media, online shopping platforms, cashback apps, retail floor graphics, shopping cart advertising and more,” says FDACS director, Susie McKinley. “The campaign is designed to increase the Fresh From Florida brand awareness and keeps Florida products in the minds of shoppers.”

“Fresh From Florida does a great job in coordinating with growers and partners with POS materials and promotions. This makes it easy for consumers to spot local, fresh produce at the retail level with in-store signage and the Fresh From Florida label,” says Jon Alderman, sales manager, Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Oviedo, FL.

“Fresh From Florida has an extensive recipe listing that we can pull from to use in our weekly ads for callouts in fresh fruits and vegetables,” adds Justin Rowe, produce category business manager at Tops Markets, Buffalo, NY.

Retailers can drive sales by sourcing Florida produce and engaging in Fresh From Florida branded promotions. “With over 1 million followers and more than 400 recipes on FreshFromFlorida.com, there is significant consumer interest in cooking with fresh Florida ingredients,” adds McKinley.

The Florida Department of Citrus is also another resource and works with retailers to promote Florida produce. “They assist with in-store demos, point-of-sale materials, and many other ways to push Florida Fall produce sales,” says Derek Rodgers, director of sales and marketing at Florida Classic Growers, Inc. in Dundee, FL.

Tony DiMare, president of both DiMare Fresh, headquartered in Arlington, TX, and DiMare Homestead, based in Homestead, FL, recommends the Florida Tomato Committee. “It partners with Canadian retailers through a MAP grant, which promotes and markets Florida tomatoes during the Florida tomato season.”