As a third-generation farmer in Central Florida, Dennis Spivey started with five acres in 1969. He grew peppers (cayenne, long hot, hungarian wax) along with other vegetables and added five more acres of land a couple years later. His big jump into farming came in the late 1970s, when he leased 40 acres of land just south of Plant City, Florida. While continuing to grow a variety of vegetables, he added strawberries to his farming portfolio. Dennis built a strong local customer base quickly and a reputation for having some of the best quality strawberries around. As his lease expired in 1994, Dennis was able to purchase 82 adjacent acres and that is the hub of farm activities today.
In 2003, his youngest son, David, was approached about joining the farm operation. Upon David's arrival, a new packinghouse and cooler were built on the farm property and the Spivey Farms label was created for shipping purposes. Dennis' oldest son, Stephen, joined the farm in 2009 and the farm can now truly say it's a family business. Every single package that get shipped out of the farm will have at least one pair of Spivey eyes on it before departure.
Currently, the farm's primary crop is strawberries during the winter months, but we also ship cherry and grape tomatoes when in season. Dennis continues to be the overseer of operations and handles all spray duties. David handles all sales, runs shipping/receiving, manages food safety issues and a part-time webmaster (myspiveyfarms.com). Stephen handles harvesting operations and other essential duties to keep the farm sustainable. The matriarch of the family, Linda Spivey, handles all the accounting duties for the farm.
Dennis Spivey has dedicated his whole life to farming and he will be the first to tell you it has been good to him. His belief from the start was to pack the best and give the customer the best quality and that message continues to this day. If you purchase a product and aren't satisfied, you're less inclined to buy again. It is common sense that if we pack something you like, your return purchase will keep us in business.