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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All images are copyright protected and may not be used unless permission is given by photographer Dawn Fader.

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.






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.





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.




 


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.

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.






“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.


The produce stand is then loaded up with the fresh pears, apples, artichokes and other fresh produce from all around the country.






The aesthetic beauty of the displays are enough to lure regular customers and passersby into the produce stand to make a purchase.




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.”






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.