Acquisition gives Mack Farms additional acreage in Florida
Acquisition gives Mack Farms additional acreage in Florida
Mack Farms Inc. is increasing its Florida potato and watermelon acreage and expanding into other fresh produce items with the purchase of a south Florida produce operation.
The Lake Wales, FL-based Mack Farms recently acquired Eagle Island Farms in Okeechobee, FL. Eagle Island grows and ships cabbage, potatoes, sweet corn and sweet onions from about 2,000 irrigated acres. The company is also experimenting with broccoli and plans to harvest new acreage of Napa and Bok Choy in February and March.
Arnold Mack
Mack grows and ships Florida potatoes from early February through June, and watermelon from April through early June. Watermelons are marketed through its subsidiary, McMelon Inc. Mack Farms.
"This move allows us to increase our irrigated acreage with good cropland, and will help with crop rotation," Arnold Mack, president of Mack Farms, said in a press release. "We will continue to grow and ship fresh cabbage and sweet corn from the 40,000-square-foot Eagle Island packing facility, which has pre- cooling and refrigerated storage. It also gives us a second packinghouse for our spring watermelons."
Arnold Mack entered the produce industry by growing watermelons in South Alabama in 1976. He was a pioneer of growing seedless watermelons, and during the 1980s started his Florida growing operations.
