While the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services reported no major losses or damage to crops this winter, many companies based in Pompano Beach, FL, sited that the brutal cold temperatures experienced throughout much of the Northeast in January and February did have an impact on business.

“The past month has been tough due to weather,” Chip Jetter, president of Pompano Beach-based Garden Fresh Distribution Service Inc. told The Produce News on March 11. Growing weather has been great, he went on to say, adding there’s been “a lot to sell, but not a lot of people to sell to.”

Had it been a “normal winter” Jetter believes the markets would have been “really strong for everything.” And his sentiments seemed to be shared by his produce industry peers.

“The cold weather across the country has made business challenging,” said Michael Warren, president of Central American Produce, also based in Pompano Beach.

“We have been feeling this in our fruit categories, as production has been good in most areas and demand off as the winter storms swept through,” he said.

However, both Jetter and Warren said they are starting to see business picking back up as the temperatures rise and spring begins to come out of hiding.

“We are happy to see temperatures warming and demand picking up,” Warren added.

J.T. Guida, president of Pompano Beach-based Pexco Produce, agreed that business had been slow this winter due to weather and the economy. He also noted that volume for Pexco’s strawberry deal was up due to its “superb quality,” but pricing was down on average.

Strawberries are one of the major crops to come out of Florida. Throughout the first week of March, Florida strawberry shipments were about 30 percent higher than the year prior, according to Erin Gillespie, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. “We have already surpassed last year’s total shipments by about 10 percent,” she added.

In addition to strawberries, Florida also has a wide variety of commodities which its currently shipping, including snap beans, broccoli, cabbage and Chinese cabbage, celery, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, escarole, grapefruit, greens, lettuces, herbs, oranges, parsley, bell peppers, potatoes, radishes, squash, strawberries, tangerines, temples, and tomatoes, including cherry, grape and plum varieties.

“Millions of cartons and tens of thousands of truckloads of fresh products will be shipped across the United States and to many nations around the world,” Gillespie said. “A total of 159 countries and territories currently import a Florida agricultural commodity.”

So despite some Florida businesses feeling the brunt of the brutally cold weather this past winter, there does seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel, which is typically the case for the Sunshine State.