The strategic partnership that Weis-Buy Farms Inc. has cemented with Dominican Republic producers of colored peppers is serving the company well. With its expanded program, Owner Chuck Weisinger said the company’s colored pepper volume from the Caribbean country has tripled during the past year.

Weis-Buy is a full-service produce company headquartered in Fort Myers, FL.

Weis-Buy owner Chuck Weisinger said colored pepper volume from the Dominican Republic has tripled during the past year.“We form the link between the grower, shipper and buyer. We become the receiver’s eyes and ears in the field or at the packing facility or assembly area,” Weisinger said. “We strive to keep up with the freshest produce and the most up-to-date pricing. The Weis-Buy staff continues to build a reputation on the success of delivering quality produce to customers at a fair price and getting it to the destination on time.”

Looking at the pepper growing deal, Weisinger explained decision dynamics this way. “We felt that the reputation of the growers’ produce, the fact that the produce was all certified, and the fact that we never had enough produce to supply our customer base, led us into the decision to expand our pepper deal,” he told The Produce News. “I have been selling produce for more than 50 years, and this looked like it would be fun. We enjoy a good relationship with the growers in the Dominican Republic and that has been built during the years on trust by both parties.”

Red, orange and yellow peppers from the Dominican Republic are grown in the cities of Constanza and Ocoa, both of which have a temperate climate making year-round production in cost-effective plastic greenhouses possible. Once harvested, the peppers are packed at Primus-certified mountain facilities where product is washed, brushed and handpacked. All boxes are sold by volume.

Weisinger said Dominican Republic peppers are marketed under the “Tropical Jewels” label.

In the last year, Weis-Buy has also received and sold the Cubanelle pepper, Roma tomatoes and vine-ripened round tomatoes when they were available from the Dominican Republic.

The company is in the early stages of a new organic cucumber deal.

“We are packing a six-pack cucumber for school consumption and retail usage. We have only touched the surface of the potential market,” Weisinger said. “Our Slicer cucumber deal will start next year, and it is a new venture for us. We expect to service the same accounts that we deal with for red, yellow and orange peppers. It is also hothouse product and will be heavy to the super-select size.”

Looking locally, Weisinger said that the Florida tomato deal experienced a slow start due to weather-related issues.

“The quality of the tomatoes is improving each week with the recent dry weather,” he explained. “During early October we got an inordinate amount of rain, and the crops were damaged in the Ruskin-Palmetto area. The small tomatoes were knocked off the plants by the wind and rain, and yields look to be small until the crops reset their fruit.” Tomato production began in Immokalee in early November.

“Cool and dry weather always helps us. We do not expect to have an abundance of Florida supply of tomatoes until Dec. 15,” Weisinger said.

Weisinger opened Weis-Buy in 1991. The company ships fresh vegetables, tomatoes and melons to wholesalers who serve foodservice and retail customers across the United States.