Wishnatzki Farms
Encyclopedia
Wishnatzki Farms is a produce
shipping and growing company based in Plant City, Florida
. The company is the largest producer and shipper of strawberries
in Florida.
by push cart
owners Harris Wishnatzki and Daniel Nathel. Wishnatzki, a Russian immigrant who arrived in New York City in 1900, had been selling fresh fruits and vegetables from his push cart for several years by that time.
By the late 1920s Wishnatzki was making regular trips to Florida to purchase produce
. In 1929 he relocated permanently to Plant City, Florida, to set up a shipping operation while Nathel remained in New York City.
In Florida, Wishnatzki envisioned bringing fresh strawberries to fruit-deprived consumers in the northern states during the winter months. Challenges with transporting perishable goods were eventually overcome and the company's New York City hub began distributing fresh fruit. Thanks to Wishnatzki, Plant City growers gained access to large American markets.
Harris Wishnatzki died in 1955, passing company leadership to two of his sons. Spearheaded by Gary Wishnatzki, a grandson of Harris Wishnatzki, the company began purchasing its own farms in 1987. Gary Wishnatzki became president of the company in 1990. Wishnatzki and Nathel split in 2001 with the Florida-based Wishnatzki interests becoming Wishnatzki Farms.
Today, Wishnatzki Farms owns and operates over 2,500 acres (1,000 ha) of farm land, primarily in Manatee County, Florida
, and Hillsborough County, Florida
. Over 6 million packages of fresh fruit and vegetables are delivered annually. Approximately half of Wishnatzki Farms' output is in strawberries, which are produced with both organic
and traditional (i.e., using fertilizer
s and pesticide
s) approaches.
Wishnatzki Farms produces blueberries
, bell pepper
s, squash and hard squash such as butternut squash
, eggplants, cucumber
s, tomato
es, cantaloupe
s, watermelon
s and green bean
s. The company distributes to chain stores, wholesalers, restaurant suppliers and institutional buyers throughout the United States and Canada. A new brand, Wish Farms, was introduced in early 2010.
Wishnatzki Farms innovated FreshQC, a system which allows company representatives to communicate directly with customers.
, area community. Gary supports the needs of the state's migrant workers. In 2006, he started the Strawberry Pro-Am tennis tournament with benefits funding college educations for children of migrant workers. The 5th annual tournament was held March 13, 2010, and was expected to net close to $100,000 for the Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA) capital campaign, which is aimed at building classrooms to help serve children of migrant workers. RCMA serves nearly 8,000 children of migrant farm workers and rural, low income families in more than 75 centers throughout Florida.
Wishnatzki Farms is a sponsor of the Florida Strawberry Festival
. Created by the Plant City Lions Club in the 1930s, the 10-day event draws crowds from the entire state. Recently the company sponsored a farm worker appreciation day at the event.
Produce
Produce is a generalized term for a group of farm-produced goods and, not limited to fruits and vegetables . More specifically, the term "produce" often implies that the products are fresh and generally in the same state as where they were harvested. In supermarkets the term is also used to refer...
shipping and growing company based in Plant City, Florida
Plant City, Florida
Plant City is a city in Hillsborough County, Florida, in the United States, approximately midway between Brandon and Lakeland along Interstate 4. The population was 34,721 at the 2010 census....
. The company is the largest producer and shipper of strawberries
Garden Strawberry
The garden strawberry, Fragaria × ananassa, is a hybrid species that is cultivated worldwide for its fruit, the strawberry. The fruit is widely appreciated for its characteristic aroma, bright red color, juicy texture, and sweetness...
in Florida.
History
The forerunner of Wishnatzki Farms, Wishnatzki and Nathel, was founded in 1922 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
by push cart
Cart
A cart is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people...
owners Harris Wishnatzki and Daniel Nathel. Wishnatzki, a Russian immigrant who arrived in New York City in 1900, had been selling fresh fruits and vegetables from his push cart for several years by that time.
By the late 1920s Wishnatzki was making regular trips to Florida to purchase produce
Produce
Produce is a generalized term for a group of farm-produced goods and, not limited to fruits and vegetables . More specifically, the term "produce" often implies that the products are fresh and generally in the same state as where they were harvested. In supermarkets the term is also used to refer...
. In 1929 he relocated permanently to Plant City, Florida, to set up a shipping operation while Nathel remained in New York City.
In Florida, Wishnatzki envisioned bringing fresh strawberries to fruit-deprived consumers in the northern states during the winter months. Challenges with transporting perishable goods were eventually overcome and the company's New York City hub began distributing fresh fruit. Thanks to Wishnatzki, Plant City growers gained access to large American markets.
Harris Wishnatzki died in 1955, passing company leadership to two of his sons. Spearheaded by Gary Wishnatzki, a grandson of Harris Wishnatzki, the company began purchasing its own farms in 1987. Gary Wishnatzki became president of the company in 1990. Wishnatzki and Nathel split in 2001 with the Florida-based Wishnatzki interests becoming Wishnatzki Farms.
Today, Wishnatzki Farms owns and operates over 2,500 acres (1,000 ha) of farm land, primarily in Manatee County, Florida
Manatee County, Florida
Manatee County is a county in the state of Florida. According to the 2010 census by the U.S. Census Bureau there are 322,833 people living in Manatee Country.Manatee County is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and Hillsborough County, Florida
Hillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...
. Over 6 million packages of fresh fruit and vegetables are delivered annually. Approximately half of Wishnatzki Farms' output is in strawberries, which are produced with both organic
Organic farming
Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...
and traditional (i.e., using fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
s and pesticide
Pesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
s) approaches.
Products
During the 2009-10 growing season Wishnatzki Farms produced 30 million pounds (13.6 million kg) of fresh and processed strawberries under its Wishnatzki Farms, Strawberry Joe and Clear Choice Organics brands. Wishnatzki Farms created a processing line that allows the company to create frozen strawberry product and market it to an outside customer base.Wishnatzki Farms produces blueberries
Blueberry
Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
, bell pepper
Bell pepper
Bell pepper, also known as sweet pepper or a pepper and capsicum , is a cultivar group of the species Capsicum annuum . Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange and green. Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent pepper varieties as...
s, squash and hard squash such as butternut squash
Butternut squash
Butternut squash , also known in Australia and New Zealand as butternut pumpkin, is a type of winter squash. It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin. It has yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp. When ripe, it turns increasingly deep orange, and becomes sweeter and richer. It grows on...
, eggplants, cucumber
Cucumber
The cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
s, tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
es, cantaloupe
Cantaloupe
"Rockmelon" redirects here, for the band see Rockmelons. See also Cantaloupe .Cantaloupe refers to a variety of Cucumis melo, a species in the family Cucurbitaceae which includes nearly all melons and squashes. Cantaloupes range in size from...
s, watermelon
Watermelon
Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
s and green bean
Green bean
Green beans , also known as French beans , are the unripe fruit of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the winged bean, and especially the common bean , whose pods are also usually called string beans in the northeastern and western United States, but can also be...
s. The company distributes to chain stores, wholesalers, restaurant suppliers and institutional buyers throughout the United States and Canada. A new brand, Wish Farms, was introduced in early 2010.
Wishnatzki Farms innovated FreshQC, a system which allows company representatives to communicate directly with customers.
Community involvement
Gary Wishnatzki and Wishnatzki Farms have been active in the Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, area community. Gary supports the needs of the state's migrant workers. In 2006, he started the Strawberry Pro-Am tennis tournament with benefits funding college educations for children of migrant workers. The 5th annual tournament was held March 13, 2010, and was expected to net close to $100,000 for the Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA) capital campaign, which is aimed at building classrooms to help serve children of migrant workers. RCMA serves nearly 8,000 children of migrant farm workers and rural, low income families in more than 75 centers throughout Florida.
Wishnatzki Farms is a sponsor of the Florida Strawberry Festival
Florida Strawberry Festival
The Florida Strawberry Festival is an annual event that takes place in Plant City, Florida. It was started in 1930 by the local Lions Club, after several attempts by locals in the previous 20 years to promote the local strawberry crop...
. Created by the Plant City Lions Club in the 1930s, the 10-day event draws crowds from the entire state. Recently the company sponsored a farm worker appreciation day at the event.