Florida operations focus on long-term with sustainable practices

When it comes to sustainability, Florida grower-shippers are on it.

Customers and consumers alike are demanding suppliers to grow, pack and ship sustainably, and for many of the state’s producers, sustainability is nothing new.

Doral, Fla.-based J&C Tropicals has been focusing on minimizing its carbon footprint for more than 10 years, said Salvador Fernandez, vice president of operations. The company has been recognized as a Giga-Guru by Walmart’s Project Gigatron, designed to reduce greenhouse gases, he said.

He listed some of the firm’s accomplishments in the sustainability field:

• Eliminated waxed boxes.
• Working with suppliers to reduce use of plastics by 80% before the end of 2024.
• Introduced reusable plastic containers, reducing corrugated packages by 250,000.
• Redesigned packing boxes to minimize use of cardboard.
• On target to switch from plastic clamshells to compostable sealed trays by the end of 2024.
• Switched from plastic corner boards to recycled cardboards.
• Eliminated produce dumped on the landfill.
• Replaced overhead irrigation on farms with a micro jet system, reducing water usage by 80%.
• Eliminated aquifer chemical leaching with micro fertigation and irrigation.
• Eliminated the need for solid fertilizer.
• Eliminated the need to spray chemical insecticides, protecting bees as a result.
• Switched to all-LED lighting in packing facilities.
• Eliminated herbicides.
• Consolidated cargo, reducing over 2.5 million miles of transit a year.
• Replanted more than 25,000 new avocado trees over the past two years.

“Over the last three years, more and more customers are inquiring about our efforts and asking to be part of the programs,” Fernandez said.

Customers of Dundee Citrus Growers Association, Dundee, Fla., also ask about the association’s sustainable growing methods, said CEO Steven Callaham.

“Our Citrus Under Protective Screen — CUPS — groves are getting a lot of attention from our customers for the sustainable aspects of that growing method,” he said.

CUPS groves use less land, less water and less fertilizer than traditional growing methods to produce each box of fruit, Callaham said.

The association also uses recyclable packaging, works to conserve water and energy and uses environmentally friendly growing practices, he said.

“Our corrugated packaging is made from 100% recycled material,” Callaham added. “It’s a remarkable story, and one that we are very proud of.   

Producing food sustainably makes sense for growers, said Bob Spencer, president of West Coast Tomato LLC, Palmetto, Fla.

“The most important part of sustainability is growing your crop in a manner and treating your fields in a manner that [enables] you to continue to grow on them every year,” he said. “There’s a certain amount of sustainability that is built into anybody who has a long-term view in our industry.”

South Bay, Fla.-based Branch: A Family of Farms, prides itself on being good stewards of the land, said owner Brett Bergmann.

The company is working to protect and conserve the earth through its participation in the Everglades restoration initiative.

“Our farms incorporate advanced farming methods that reduce nutrients leaving the soil and [minimize] the application of fertilizer through technology,” he said.

Branch continually looks for innovative ways to grow crops sustainably, keeping the earth in mind, he said.