Berry grower-marketer Wish Farms’ new headquarters in Plant City, Fla., won’t be your average office and warehouse/packing facility.
Playing off the company’s brand’s mascot — Misty the Garden Pixie, who’s featured on the Wish Farms berry labels — owner Gary Wishnatzki wants the facility to be unique and fun. To that end, there will be a “treehouse conference space” and other light-hearted architectural features.
“We have a lot of fun and unexpected things planned. This is going to be a special place,” Wishnatzki, identified as the “head pixie,” said in the release.
James “B’fer” Roth from TV’s DIY Network show “The Treehouse Guys,” has been tapped to design and build the conference space, featuring a slide and rooftop deck, according to the release.
Wish Farms plans to start construction on the three-story office building and packing facility this fall, with completion set for the winter of 2019, according to the release. The plans call 20,000 square feet of office space and a 138,000-square-foot warehouse that will include blueberry and strawberry processing, pre-cooling and cooler space.
The Beck Group is overseeing construction on the 36-acre site and office space; RCS Co. of Tampa is building the warehouse, according to the release.
“Space has been an issue for us during this growth period,” J.C. Clinard, Wish Farms chief operating officer, said in the release. “The move is going to drastically increase our efficiency and scalability, while positively impacting the local economy.”
The design will include environmental and sustainable responsibility measures, including a solar array, and an organic blueberry farm will be planted on the property.
“I see our new campus as a retention and recruiting tool for top talent, but I’m really excited that our new home is going to our reflect fun, family-friendly brand,” Wishnatzki said in the release.
The property was in the Kuhn family for three generations, acquired by Andras Kuhn in 1929 as a payment for a pre-depression loan.
“I’m very happy that the property is going to stay in the agriculture sector and with a company that has a special bond with the area,” Andras’ grandson Joe Kuhn said in the release.
