With competition as hot as ever and increasing, Eagle added that the business plan at Southern Specialties also includes making sure the company stays on top of industry trends, new technologies and having the best equipment to serve its many customers. He also explained that staying ahead of the curve attracts new business.
“This year we installed new processing equipment in our 170,000-square-foot facility that is supercharging the growth of our snipped green bean program,” he noted. “These beans are sold in a two-pound by five-pound foodservice pack, as well as various retail size packs sold under our Southern Selects brand and private label designations.”
Eagle also noted that Southern Specialties is among the largest growers, importers and distributors of asparagus, and other specialty products, in the nation. “Our investments in vertically integrated product lines, food safety, sustainability, farms, facilities and workforce have enabled us to proudly include many of the finest retailers, foodservice distributors, club stores and wholesalers in North America on our list of customers,” he said.
Besides various types of asparagus, Southern Specialties offers such vegetables as English peas, sugar snap peas, Brussels sprouts, French and green beans, baby carrots and sweet baby broccoli. The company also carries a wide array of fruit, including pineapple, mango, large and golden papaya, starfruit, blueberries, blackberries and Hass avocados. It also carries a line of specialty lettuce (radicchio, Belgian endive, red endive, watercress and arugula) and specialty tomatoes (baby heirlooms, heirloom tomatoes and yellow beefsteak tomatoes) as well as fresh cuts in broccoli, onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes and butternut squash.
Looking ahead, Eagle is optimistic about the rest of 2024, noting that his team at Southern Specialties is hopeful that this year will bring more favorable weather patterns than experienced last year. In turn, that should result in increased supplies and sales.
“We recently added broccoli florets and green onions to our product offerings,” he said. “Both items have been well received since we brought them on board.”
Being located in Pompano Beach has also played a big role in the company’s success. Eagle said that having so many major highways nearby makes getting product to customers faster and easier and, most importantly, makes the flow of business more reliable.
“Our facility is ideally located between major north bound thoroughfares, I-95 and the Florida Turnpike flowing into I-75 and westbound interstate expressways,” he noted. “Pompano Beach is approximately an hour north of Miami, which means drivers can save valuable hours by picking up here.”
Taken together, he is confident that Southern Specialties is covering all its bases for future success. “We offer more than 200 SKU’s,” he said. “This menu of products assures every customer can find logistics efficiencies with one stop shopping. We look forward to many more years as a leading grower, importer, processor and shipper.”