Hearne Produce Grows By Meeting Demand
July 1, 2010 
Building on a good thing and making it better is not as easy as it sounds. One wrong move can cost dearly in accumulated brand equity. A little more than three years ago, Jeff Williams and Tony Piedimonte of Wimauma-based Wm. P. Hearne Produce LLC took on that risk when purchasing the long-standing vegetable producing operation they had each worked at for decades. With almost 40 years of experience invested between the two of them at Hearne Produce Inc. and already holding leadership positions within the then 75-year-old company, the time was right to set the wheels in motion, according to Piedimonte, co-owner and vice president. “We hit the ground running and knew in our mind the changes we wanted to make for the company and the different things we wanted to do,” he says. “And that’s what we’ve implemented, adding more sales deals, more packages and buy-in, and just trying to be more of a full-service business.”
In an effort to move the needle forward in regard to performance and product offerings, Piedimonte says tapping customers for ideas and suggestions has served them well. “We get a lot of visits from our customers,” he says. “They like to see our growing practices and packing facilities. Every time they show up, they give us a little insight to what they like about things such as size and packaging.”
Producing Diversity
When it came to unlocking the potential of what clients were seeking, consolidation was key. “Years ago, if you had given an order to Hearne, it pretty much was a cabbage deal,” Piedimonte says. “Now, there are invoices that go out that have as many as 23 different items on it.”
While Hearne made its big mark over the years producing cabbage, the company also excelled at dealing its hand in cucumbers, squash, and multiple varieties of specialty tomatoes and peppers. In the past year, the company added two new crops (strawberries and watermelon) to its portfolio. Based primarily on customer input, the decision to offer these new crops is paying off. “We grew 100 acres of watermelon this year and look to expand on that,” Piedimonte says.
When it came to adding strawberries to the mix, the seamless integration it offered was attractive. “It fits because production is not during a time we are doing peppers, cucumbers, and the other dry-veg mix,” Piedimonte says.
In addition, location played a big part in sealing the deal. Centered roughly 20 miles from Florida’s strawberry capital of Plant City, Piedimonte believes the company headquarters is sitting on prime real estate with plenty of room to grow. “Strawberries are a good fit for us because we have a facility right here in the middle of what I think is going to be the new, big strawberry production area,” he says.
Plant City’s population growth over the years has all but maxed out available farmland. Add to that water issues and fumigant hurdles, and it makes a tough job even tougher, Piedimonte says. “To grow produce and have houses next to each other in the same field doesn’t work,” he says.
Reining In Water
This past winter’s extraordinary cold weather helped put a perspective on just how challenging it is to farm on a shrinking grid. Mainstream media jumped on the local ag community when reports of sinkholes started popping up around Plant City in the wake of consecutive nights of water-pumping cold protection measures. Piedimonte says the water issue is a major challenge that’s not just going to evaporate into thin air. “Everybody has to be sensitive to the fact people are living closer to the farms,” he says. “The responsibility is on the grower and it’s going to benefit everybody to come up with a good solution.”
Regarding a remedy, Piedimonte thinks it’s going to boil down to catching tailwater. “Just pumping water into the air isn’t going to be acceptable any more, especially in heavily populated areas,” he says.
Digging a series of ponds to catch water to filter and recycle takes considerable investment of time and money. However, a grower laying out a fresh field or adding production can save by devising a water-wise design. “To go back to an old piece of ground and have to laser and cut ditches is expensive,” Piedimonte says. “As you laser, you need to level it so it pitches back to where those ponds are.”
On The Traceability Track
In today’s world of heightened food safety concerns, mapping out a successful traceability initiative has been a goal of the produce industry. Tony Piedimonte of Wm. P. Hearne Produce says the company has a full-time employee that concentrates on nothing but food safety. While he acknowledges traceability is good for the company and the U.S. produce community in general, Piedimonte says the ultimate food safety challenge lies beyond our borders. “I don’t know what percentage of product from outside the country is consumed, but I believe the Florida grower is doing as much as anybody to stay on top of this food safety issue.”
According to Piedimonte, the company tags everything and regularly carries out mock recalls. With the advance of traceability technology, Piedimonte says he hopes there will be simpler, more efficient solutions to tracking and ensuring food safety in the near future. “Maybe there will be a fingerprint produced into the package that scans and has its own identification,” he says. “Perhaps a chip in a box. Maybe it’s everything being individually stickered, which we are starting to see more of.” Read more about traceability.
Plenty On Its Plate
Looking ahead, Hearne Produce is aiming to solidify its east-of-the-Mississippi market foothold, continue momentum with its new crops, and explore other opportunities. “We’ll continue our growth,” Piedimonte says. “We’ll be up 25% to 30% on berries next year and plan on increasing the watermelon business.”
Piedimonte and company president/business partner Williams give credit to a sales force that strives to stay tuned to market trends and customer demand. “The challenges of our customers also are our challenges,” Piedimonte adds.
Stocking the sales team with solid players, including a tomato sales specialist (Jim Kinder) and two (Ike Cornelius and George Barker) with retail experience, has proved invaluable in helping maintain lasting relationships like the one it has with longtime local pepper grower Saffold Brothers as well as spotting new opportunities. “We’re pretty well vertically integrated,” Piedimonte says.
With all the right pieces seemingly in place and solid resources to draw from, Piedimonte says the company remains focused on continuing to do what it does best. “We grow to fulfill the needs of our customers,” he says. “That’s been our success.”
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