Sustainable Berry Growing Practices | Wish Farms

Sustainability

Sustainability

Generations of Being Green

As a multi-generational family company, we understand the importance of passing on a healthy, thriving planet to our children, grandchildren and beyond. Wish Farms is committed to doing the right thing and utilizing solutions that combat climate change, plastic, and food waste.

ENERGY USE

Wish Farms uses solar power at its headquarters in Plant City. The system has 2,100 panels, which covers 80,000 square feet. It has an annual output of 1.6 gigawatts. Over the life of the system, 36,000 tons of CO2 will be saved from entering the atmosphere. This is equivalent to:

PLANTING

847,280 trees

DRIVING

72,728,000 auto miles or burning 3,709,128 gallons of gasoline

RECYCLING

114,908 tons of waste instead of sending it to a landfill

DISPLACING

4,124 homes’ annual electric use

BURNING

35,433,860 pounds of coal

SAVING

886,852,000 gallons of water from thermoelectric power plants

Our new headquarters is a state-of-the-art facility designed
to be green and ultra-efficient.

Farm Practices

  • Our company-owned farms utilize soil moisture detectors and automated drip irrigation systems to conserve water and energy. By automating the process, we can optimize inputs and eliminate waste. 
  • We grow flowering cover crops in the off-season which controls both wind and water erosion. It also creates an ideal environment for bees to thrive. When the season begins, the cover crop and all of its natural, nutrient-rich material is tilled back into the soil. 
  • As the largest USDA Certified Organic grower of berries in Florida since 2003, we have acquired a lot of knowledge when it comes to sustainable methods. This has helped us with our conventional growing practices. Along with using effective scouting methods and releasing Persimilis mites (a beneficial predator) that fight pests, we have cut our dependence on synthetic pesticides. 

Food Waste

Food waste is a significant contributor to climate change. Wish Farms is committed to reducing our impact. Not only are we increasing our efficiencies in the cold chain to reduce spoilage, we are the only Florida-based berry marketer that has a comprehensive strawberry processing program. By creating a market outlet for berries that would have otherwise been thrown into a landfill, we are able to save thousands of pounds of product during a market oversupply or bad weather. Additionally, we work with our local food bank partners to provide fresh berries to food insecure communities during market gluts.

Packaging

Wish Farms is focused on reducing and in some cases eliminating plastic from our consumer packaging. Currently, our berries are packaged in PET #1 plastic containers. PET is the most recyclable type of plastic available, with each clamshell containing between 50 and 70% post-consumer recycled plastic. Our clamshells will be 100% recyclable by 2025. We have invested in labels that wash away at the recycling plant, making the entire clamshell 100% recyclable. Currently, our blueberry top seal containers use about ⅓ less PET and are fully recyclable. We continue to trial new, non-plastic packaging material. While it is important that we reduce our plastic impact, we will only commit to a non-PET material if it doesn’t produce more carbon than PET to manufacture.We have teamed up with other berry companies across North and South America to find a solution. Please visit www.berrysustainable.com to learn more about the effort. To contact our green team, email us at [email protected].