16
2012
Gary Wishnatzki
Gary Wishnatzki is the third-generation president and CEO of Wish Farms, a large produce grower and shipper in Plant City, Fla. Gary is currently on the board of directors for the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, Redlands Christian Migrant Association and a Gubernatorial appointment to the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. In addition, he participates in a working group for the Produce Traceability Initiative. From 20006-2009, Gary served on the Federal Reserve Bank Small Business Agriculture and Labor Advisory Board for the Atlanta branch. He led several innovations at Wish Farms, including the development of proprietary methods of growing organic strawberries, the invention of a patented traceability system, and refining a bloom count model to forecast strawberry production.
Knowing where your food comes from and understanding the growing practices of fresh produce is a trending topic, gaining a lot of popularity in recent years.? Given the technology available to us at Wish Farms, it was important to utilize the information we gather in a way that would be beneficial to the consumer.
In 2011, we launched an optimized mobile website and QR-code labels on each package of our strawberries, blueberries and grape tomatoes.? You can now scan the label with your smart phone to learn more about the product, watch a video to meet the grower that grew your specific package of produce and provide instant feedback through our mobile website.? By putting a name and face to our fruits and vegetables we are able to personalize your shopping experience
Wish Farms utilizes FreshQC, a patented tool for traceability that provides specific information of each individual package of produce.? Data such as grower, field, picker, time of harvest, variety, planting date, nursery source, etc. is stored electronically and can be accessed by the grower as needed.? FreshQC was originally developed as a system for quality control, but it quickly became a way for us to connect with our customers and hear about their experience with our produce. ?Every package of Wish Farms produce features a FreshQC sticker on top with the question, ?How?s my picking??? This question invites consumers to tell us exactly what they think.? People like to know where their food comes from and with the technology of FreshQC, we have the ability to educate our consumers about our products and reassure them that they are feeding their families high quality food.? In addition, we are able to create a sense of pride within our organization ?the farmers and pickers are able to read the consumer feedback, providing accountability and continuous improvement for their work.
Social media also provides a unique opportunity to reach a massive amount of people in real time.? Facebook allows us to have a two-sided conversation with the people who purchase our products.? Using this informal platform, the personality of our company and the voice of our brand can shine through.? We recently launched a sweepstakes contest where, if Wish Farms reaches 5,000 likes, people have the chance to win $25, $50, $100 or the grand prize of $250 to the grocery store of their choice.? In just 48 hours from launching the contest, the response was so tremendous that we doubled our goal to 10,000 likes, as well as the prizes.
Aside from our social media efforts, most of Wish Farms? consumer marketing exists on a local, community level.? For the second year in a row, Wish Farms is the proud sponsor of the Florida Strawberry Festival Soundstage.? This event, scheduled March 1-11, draws tens of thousands of people every year from all across the country.? ?The Strawberry Festival preserves the tradition of Plant City and its history, rich in farming.? It creates a sense of pride among the strawberry farming community to participate and inform people of the industry that, for generations, has made Plant City, FL the winter strawberry capital of the world.? As the title sponsor, our signage will be displayed throughout the Strawberry Festival Amphitheatre and we will feature promotional videos before each concert performance.
As growers ourselves, we are aware of the challenges our growers face and share the passion they have for their work.? As marketers, our goal is to continue bridging the gap between the people who grow and harvest our produce and the individuals and families who enjoy it.
Wish Farms, founded in 1922, is the largest grower and shipper of strawberries in Florida and has been for over 50 years.? Nationally recognized for quality and innovation, Wish Farms is a year round supplier that represents over 2,000 acres ? shipping over 5 million flats of strawberries, 6 million pounds of blueberries and over 1 million packages of vegetables a year.?? Wish Farms? flagship growing operation began in 1987 and controls over 1,500 acres, employing over 1,000 workers.? It is the largest contiguous strawberry production outside of California with 600 acres of strawberries ? 125 being organic.
Source: http://www.centerpie.com/2012/02/16/strawberry-producers-bring-pride-to-plant-city/
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