Steve Oldock, owner of King Farms, headquartered in Naples, FL, told The Produce News that the company’s Florida spring crops are on schedule this year.

“There were a few little breaks in action due to previous weather occurrences, but now we have really warm days and so we expect to be back on schedule real quick,” Oldock said in mid-March. “Conditions are balancing out. You move along with Mother Nature in this business and she snaps back quickly when there’s a glitch. We’re fortunate to not have had hard freezes or a lot of rain this year. Overall the season is similar to those of recent years.”

The company was shipping red potatoes, green Bell peppers, cabbage and eggplant in mid-March. Oldock said that cucumbers and squash would follow starting the first of April, followed by watermelons and cantaloupes.”

San Juan Garcia, quality control for the East Coast, and Steve Oldock, owner of King Farms.He added that the company’s cabbage movement for St. Patrick’s Day was very good, and that the demand for King Farms’ Bell peppers and yellow and zucchini squashes, cucumbers, cantaloupes and cabbage is consistently strong throughout the year.

King Farms services predominantly retailers from the Midwest to the Northeast. The company represents a few different growing partners as it moves north with the seasonal production calendar.

The Oldock family is growing along with the King Farms company. King’s granddaughter, Farah Brooke Fleischer, was born to his daughter, Christina Fleischer, about two years ago. Christina continues to work for the company overseeing administrative duties and potato sales from her home as she cares for her daughter.

“Christina can stay home with the baby and still stay focused on her responsibilities,” said Oldock.

Oldock travels on the company’s bus moving north with its seasonal programs. He said he plans to be in Georgia on May 25 to begin that program.

He also explained that the company is leaning toward using more reusable plastic containers, commonly referred to as RPC, and DRC, or disposable recyclable containers.

“More customers are asking for these packaging options,” said Oldock. “They want consistency and specific sizes for most of their products.”

He also noted that King Farms plans to add an additional salesperson to its staff in the near future.

“We are also adding a marketing professional to create our brochures, handle our website and other Internet aspects,” said Oldock.

With the spring crops under way and in full swing, King Farms will transition to central and northern Florida by late March.

“South Florida is still producing, so no gaps or breaks are expected from here on,” said Oldock.

“We continue to place a huge emphasis on service,” he continued. “This is what puts us ahead of our competition. A ground inspection is done on every load that leaves our packinghouses. Service is our mantra, and we stick to it rigidly.”