DEERFIELD BEACH, FL - Since its inception in 2008, Agritrade Farms has been on a mission to provide its partners with the finest okra, greenhouse colored bell peppers and Asian vegetables.
With a strong import program and a vertically integrated business model, this grower is able to offer its retail, foodservice, and wholesale partners with a year-round supply of its Caribbean Candy brand sweet peppers and watermelons. Paul Boris, President and Owner of Agritrade Farms, shared with me how every year retailers and consumers alike are more and more impressed with the quality of these offerings.
“We are very proud of the quality of the produce coming out of our Caribbean operations,” he explained. “Our peppers for example have developed a strong reputation for their sweet-as-candy taste. Over the years, Agritrade has refined its greenhouse growing techniques, allowing us to bring a product to market with the enhanced shelf-life and quality retailers look for together with the taste consumers crave.”
Indeed, this commitment to working on enhancing every aspect of the product profile to grow the category as a whole is a key tenet of the Agritrade Farms way of business, Paul explained to me.
“We like to say we 'wear many hats' here at Agritrade,” he said. “At the end of the day, what matters most to us is doing whatever it takes to supply our partners with a premium fresh product that fulfills their every expectation and enhances the quality of their customers' lives.”
Since its founding, Agritrade's specialty has always remained with okra. The grower has become a leader in the industry in this category, growing pesticide-free Gumbo-Licious brand okra on its farms in Honduras and the Dominican Republic, before shipping it out to its domestic facilities in Florida for distribution. The Honduras season lasts from November to May, complemented by year-round production out of the Dominican Republic.
Agritrade has worked through the years to promote this Southern favorite throughout the rest of the United States and Europe. The company sees tremendous growth potential in this still underdeveloped category. By raising awareness among its retail partners about the myriad of health benefits this Southern superfood provides, Agritrade has a plan to put okra into mainstream consumption in the same way that kale has become a produce staple over the past year.
Paul spoke to me about how Agritrade is even working on a new 1lb and 2lb top-seal retail pack in order to further optimize the shelf-life and marketability of its Gumbo-Licious brand.
With PMA Fresh Summit just around the corner and winter approaching, Agritrade Farms is looking forward to capitalizing on its successes so far this season and continuing to develop its okra and greenhouse programs. From where I stand, they look to be in a prime position to do so.
Make sure to look for Agritrade at this year's PMA Fresh Summit!
