If a strawberry isn't red,there's no reason to pick it.

Five acres in 1969, a family business today.

As a third-generation farmer in Central Florida, Dennis Spivey started with five acres in 1969. He grew peppers (cayenne, long hot, hungarian wax) along with other vegetables, and his big jump into farming came in the late 1970s, when he leased 40 acres just south of Plant City and added strawberries.

As his lease expired in 1994, Dennis was able to purchase 82 adjacent acres, and that is the hub of farm activities today. His youngest son, David, joined in 2003, when a new packinghouse and cooler were built and the Spivey Farms label was created. His oldest son, Stephen, joined in 2009. Every single package that gets shipped out of the farm will have at least one pair of Spivey eyes on it before departure.