DUETTE, FL - Domestic strawberries from Florida are ready to hit retail stores. Wish Farms recently announced that it has harvested its first strawberry flat in the state of Florida. Farm Manager Chris Parks announced the accomplishment to the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, which celebrates the annual feat officially kicking off the season.

“This achievement means a lot to us at this moment in time. The last few weeks have been challenging after our farm sustained quite a bit of storm damage,” said Public Relations Director Nick Wishnatzki.

G&D Farm is located in Duette, Manatee County, and represents 650 planted acres of strawberries and pineberries. The area experienced 100mph+ winds from Hurricane Milton, a press release stated. The storm ripped up plastic beds, drip tape, and flung a 20-foot tall, 11,500-gallon tank nearly a mile into the nearby forest.

“It makes me very proud that only three weeks ago, this devastating storm made a direct hit, and here we are talking about harvesting the very first strawberries from this farm,” Wishnatzki continued. “It speaks volumes about the resilience and hard work of our farm team, as well as our whole family of growers who worked many overtime hours to get their farms repaired.”

The company is optimistic that the season will be a success and that berry flavor will be exceptional. Shoppers will be able to find Florida strawberries on grocery store shelves in the coming weeks.

We applaud Wish Farms and all of the Florida growers who are persevering through a difficult time.