Costa Family Honored as Farm Family of the Year

The Dade County Farm Bureau honored the Costa Family as Farm Family of the Year at their annual membership meeting lunch on October 6th at the Redland Golf and Country Club.

  The Farm Family of the Year award was established to recognize Farm Bureau member-families for their commitment to Dade agriculture. Mayor Porter and the Office of Miami Dade County Mayor, Carlos Gimenez presented proclamations to the family. The offices of Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Congressman Carlos Curbelo presented an American flag that was flown over the Capitol in WashingtonDC. Also, a congratulatory letter from Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam Putnam was also presented to the family.

  Costa Farms was founded in 1961 by Jose Costa Sr. Jose was a tomato farmer in Cuba and in 1960 moved to South Florida. He purchased 30 acres in South Florida where he began growing vine-ripened tomatoes in the winter and calamondin oranges in the summer. Realizing the business of growing tomatoes was risky; Jose shifted focus over to ornamentals. The rest is history.

  Within a short time, operations expanded and demand steadily increased. In 1973, Costa Farms purchased property in the Dominican Republic to grow young plant material. This investment in quality control underlined Costa Farms' dedication to high-grade products and dependable supply.

  Today, Costa Farms is a third generation, family owned business that globally stretches over thousands of acres and employs over 2800 people. Along with thriving indoor houseplant and bedding plant divisions, Costa Farms operates merchandising and transportation companies as part of its infrastructure, with operations domestically in South Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, abroad in the Dominican Republic and China. Costa Farms is the largest grower and wholesaler of indoor plants in North America. Selling primarily through larger retailers, Costa Farms is a leader in the industry.

  As for the future of Costa Farms, CEO Jose Smith said, "We've placed emphasis on new technology and development. We want to get smarter and do things better. Our focus is on marketing and distribution and we want to work jointly with other growers and share the best practices and help them become better organizations as well."

  Dade County Farm Bureau represents over 3,000 members. DadeCounty farmers provide an economic impact of over $2.57 billion to the local and state economy.  Visit them at www.dade-agriculture.org.