Women in Produce — Brittany Lee
Brittany Lee is a prime example of someone entrenched in the produce industry far beyond her own family business.
Besides working as vice president and farm manager of Waldo-based Florida Blue Farms, Lee is also executive director of the Florida Blueberry Growers Association. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish at the University of Florida and then her real estate license, planning to work in her family’s silviculture management real estate firm.
Then they found this parcel of land that inspired Lee to delve into whatever food crop would suit it best — blueberries. “There’s something very beautiful harvesting the literal fruits of your labor,” Lee said. “I find great joy in harvest season, which is right now: a year’s worth of work in a handful of blueberries. It’s very rewarding. It’s not something many people experience in their jobs. There’s not so much of a tangible reward.”
Yet Lee learned from her family to improve not only her business, but the community and industry at large. “There’s an adage that the world is run for those who show up. So, we show up,” she said. “I think it’s important that people don’t just stay in their own little cubicle. There’s legislation that’s being made that will affect your business.”
Lee’s industry involvement includes:
- Appointed to Agriculture Technical Advisory Committee for Fruits & Vegetables by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue;
- Board member of Florida Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association;
- Task force committee member for North American Blueberry Council;
- Member of UF/IFAS Plant Science Research & Education Unit Advisory Council;
- Appointed to U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack; and
- Member of Florida Farm Bureau and Farm Credit of Florida.
The list continues, showing leadership, philanthropic and industry involvement.
To advocate for domestic blueberry growers hurt by increasing imports, Lee helped collaborate with six states to form the American Blueberry Growers Alliance, in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, in which the International Trade Commission did not rule in her favor.
But the group will continue to advocate for legislation that creates positive change for domestic blueberry growers, she said. A lot of the work involves educating representatives and senators who come from states focusing on other crops, leaders who don’t understand the unique challenges and attributes of the blueberry market.
Ryan Atwood, past president of the Florida Blueberry Growers Association and an owning partner in H&A Farms, a grower and the largest blueberry packer on the East Coast, has worked with Lee a long time, he said. “She’s been key in utilizing our representatives, getting our voice heard and educating them so they understand,” Atwood said.
Lee helped blueberry growers get disaster assistance after hurricanes. “I really do believe if Brittany wasn’t involved in that effort, it would’ve been ‘sorry about your luck.’ She’s interested in politics and understands how it works, and that’s a really good asset,” he said.
Lee wants to leave something valuable to her children and siblings’ children, which includes Florida Blue Farms. After that, she wants to have made a difference in the industry. “When I am an old lady, I want people to look at my career and say ‘Brittany Lee positively impacted the blueberry industry and Florida agriculture,’” she said. “I want my legacy to be impactful.”
