“Considering what we’ve had to go through with heavy rains in Mexico, cold weather in Florida at the beginning of the year, then the hurricanes that came through in the fall, we’ve dealt with a lot of short supply situations,” Condakes said. “It changes the way your business goes. In November, Florida was basically wiped out of tomatoes and we did far fewer packages but the sales are there because of the value of each package as the markets are very high.”
His concern with higher prices is that for 50 percent of the population, produce is becoming a luxury good and not something people are buying regularly anymore.
“A lot of people are turning to canned or frozen instead of fresh during times of stressed markets,” Condakes said. “But overall, things are similar to last year.”
Working in the Boston area, he said, is wonderful because it has four seasons and a large student population that migrates out in the summer and then new visitors come in to enjoy the mountains, lakes and seashores.
“The diversity of environments that are close to each other is great and keeps you busy,” Condakes said. “There’s a rhythm to the business here because of the school year and vacation time and that keeps things interesting.”