In 1984, Willy Pardo started selling exotic and tropical produce from the back of his truck in Miami to neighbors who wanted items that were staples of their diets but not always easy to find in supermarkets.

A quarter-century later, W.P. Produce has grown into a full-line purveyor of tropical and exotic items headed by Mr. Pardo and his daughter, Vice President Desirée P. Morales.

The company has had great success as an importer of Dominican avocados and Hispanic specialties. Now, W.P. is branching out to cover another growing demographic group.

Southern Specialties Inc. in Pompano Beach, FL, had a terrific showing at PMA Fresh Summit, so much so that the weeks following have been “crazed” according to Vice President of Business Development Charlie Eagle.

“We have had great positive response to the PMA,” Mr. Eagle said. “We have good demand for our microwave specialty lineup. We’ve had really good response on those products from people from companies around the nation.”

ATLANTA, GA — The fresh produce industry held its annual equivalent of the Super Bowl, the Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit trade show, at the Georgia World Congress Center here Oct. 14-17 and the Florida contingent turned out in force to represent the Sunshine State’s vast array of fruits and vegetables.

Dozens of Florida companies were represented at PMA. Many had their own booths, while others banded together in the state Department of Agriculture’s sprawling Fresh from Florida pavilion, which had a prime spot on the show floor.

A large spring bloom and heavy summer rains should lead to a bigger Florida citrus crop this season, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Even better, growers have reported larger fruit sizes in early season varieties, welcome news after two seasons of smaller than average fruit.

Not only is Florida looking at promoting a bigger crop and larger fruit, perfect 2011 weather conditions have resulted in an early crop. Most citrus operations began harvesting in mid-October, two weeks ahead of typical seasons.

Andrea Grant, sales representative for Kenney Farm.

Andrea Grant handles sales for Kenney Farm in Concord, MA.