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HOMESTEAD, FL
January 24, 2003
Brooks Tropicals Inc., Florida’s largest tropical fruit and vegetable supplier, celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Since 1928, Brooks Tropicals has maintained consistency in providing excellent quality, exceptional service and innovation in every aspect of its business.
From its products and quality control procedures, to its shipping methods, Brooks Tropicals’ innovations have created changes in the produce industry and the markets it serves. Brooks has distinguished itself with innovative products like the Slimcado® "lite" avocado and pioneering the implementation of bagged limes. Brooks Tropicals’ commitment to increasing product awareness led to the company’s successful marketing of starfruit. Today, Brooks Tropicals remains the dominant U.S. producer of starfruit.
Innovation has influenced all services Brooks Tropicals provides to its customers. The company was the first to hydrocool its avocados; use hot water treatment to control Mediterranean fruit fly in mangoes; and the first in Florida to install a refrigerated loading dock to ensure Continuous Cold Chain™ during storage and transport.
Brooks has always been very aggressive in experimentation in production and distribution, and uses the most advanced research and technology for acclimatization and pest control. Its in-house quality control and research and development teams ensure that only the highest-quality produce reaches its customers.
As with most companies, Brooks Tropicals has endured many hardships through the years. From withstanding freezes and bracing Category 5 hurricanes, to battling citrus canker, the firm has withstood change and survived by using expertise and the dedication to move forward. Pal Brooks, president of Brooks Tropicals since 1966, has seen numerous companies in the produce industry driven out of business by inflexibility over the years. "It is crucial for firms to enjoy dancing with change. You can’t resist change, especially in an industry like ours that has low barriers to entry", Brooks said.
With each challenge, the company has quickly moved to fill in the gaps of its business such as its rapidly-growing line of papayas. For ten years, Brooks Tropicals has had a collaborative corporation between Florida and Belize in order to produce premium quality fruit. Since 1995, the firm’s Belize papaya operation has increased thirty-fold with 1000 acres currently producing an estimated 200,000 boxes of large papayas monthly. Known as Caribbean Red and Caribbean Sunrise papayas, they display greenish-yellow skin and deep red flesh providing the customer with exceptional quality, taste and nutrition.
Slimcado® avocados, known for their light taste, smooth texture, low fat and fewer calories, have been a success since their debut in 2001. "The consumer acceptance has been overwhelming", said Neal Brooks, VP of Sales and Marketing. "We are in a health-conscious era where eating nutritious foods results in positive outcomes. Our avocados provide nutrition as well as great taste," he added.
The final star in the Brooks line-up is shiny, delicious starfruit provided in sizes 16 through 30 count from June through March. Sufficient supplies will be readily available in February. Other year-round specialties include Uniq fruit, coconuts, key limes, mangoes and Latin vegetables such as boniato, calabaza and many more. |
