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Fresh Produce On the Move
There is nothing better than walking into
a fresh produce stand greeted by beautifully colored fruits
and vegetables wanting to go home with you. Sorting through
crates of produce your taste buds explode imagining how
delicious that vine ripe tomato will taste as you sink your
teeth into it.
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Click picture for close
up view
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All images are copyright protected and
may not be used unless permission is given by photographer
Dawn Fader. |
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To remain fresh, produce
is always on the move. Upon leaving the farm produce has
a busy schedule involving several people along the way.
Produce is processed and packaged, exported, transported,
and brought into your local produce stand, aisle, or local
restaurant. Finally the produce is “picked”
by the consumer and eventually will reach the dinner plate. |
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Most fresh produce you will find in the
Tampa Bay Area briefly stops through the Tampa Wholesale
Produce Market on Hillsborough Ave. Originating in different
parts of the US, Mexico, Central America and Canada fresh
produce makes its way to Tampa for local distribution as
early as 1:00 am every morning.
This is the same time that Anthony Ruben,
Tampa, begins his work day. Ruben has been making a living
at the Tampa Wholesale Market for 25 years. Ruben spent
a few years working with Roses and Country’s Best.
He is currently employed by Dimond Tagert. Unloading trucks
as they come in, preparing the cases of produce to be redistributed
for the local markets, and then reloading the stock onto
local trucks describes some of the duties that Ruben performs
while most of us lie sleeping.
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Produce retailers come from many miles
away to collect the finest produce available in the area.
James Cannon drives from Lutz, Florida each morning to fill
his truck with the day’s produce. Cannon finds Warren
Wheeler, Wyand, and Coastal products to be most favorable
and fresh. After driving a truck for 40 years Cannon retired
and began his mom and pop produce stand with his wife after
retiring in 1992. Cannon has dual objectives at Tampa’s
Wholesale Market. He purchases produce for his own retail
business. He also sells various items to the wholesale market
for local distribution specializing in unusual items such
as apple butter, pumpkin butter, strawberry salsa, almond
syrup and other unique homemade items from around the country.
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On to the public sector. The day begins at
family owned Park St. Produce, St. Petersburg with the arrival
of their truck loaded with fresh produce after visiting the
wholesale market in Tampa. Tom and Despina Kappos with their
sons Peter and Gus have owned Park St. Produce for 14 years.
Their employees quickly remove the market’s share of
produce from the truck. Peter Kappos, inspects the boxes of
produce as they arrive. He checks the quality and asks his
partner/brother Gus Kappos for the price paid at market on
that day so that he can determine the appropriate price.
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The climate has everything to do with the quality
and the price of produce. Snow in Colorado can make potatoes
arriving from North Dakota on the rail car delayed. This winter’s
floods in California caused prices of Spring Mix lettuce to
rise. When the price rises the quality decreases. Kappos shows
the box of rotten spring mix lettuce that he recently purchased.
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“It’s a tough job, you have to
be in shape to work here.” comments Peter, “We
do things the old fashioned way.” as he points to his
arm’s muscles.
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The produce stand is then loaded up with
the fresh pears, apples, artichokes and other fresh produce
from all around the country.
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The aesthetic beauty of the displays are
enough to lure regular customers and passersby into the
produce stand to make a purchase.
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Pat Greenwald has lived in Treasure Island
for 18 years. “I’ve been coming here as long
as they’ve been here.” The reason she comes
to Park St. Produce today, “My mouth is watering for
a Ruskin tomato and Florida onion sandwich.”
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For the produce industry the day is not
over yet. The driver now pulls out of the produce retail
market at 11:45 a.m. on its way to deliver more fresh produce
to local restaurants in the area.
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