Blueberries, Albritton Fruit Farms
Last March, Albritton Fruit Farms opened its fourth blueberry season under different circumstances than seasons past: the start of a global pandemic. While this could have turned out to be detrimental to the business, instead it presented John and Sarah Albritton’s U-pick blueberry operation with a boom in sales for the season.
According to Sarah Albritton, who manages the U-pick operation, the 2019 season had brought—maybe—100 cars during the busiest day. During the 2020 season, the car line extended from the parking lot out to Clark Road and beyond almost every day. It was a welcome influx of customers that allowed the farm to survive when the commercial aspect blueberry market fell out due to COVID-19. A light in the darkness of a very “blue” situation.
Rightly so.
Twenty-five acres of fresh air, sunshine, and delicious blueberries offered a true connection to food and nature at a time when the community was facing fears of illness and being stuck indoors.
“It’s a real sense of freedom because it outside and there is really nothing that you [can] do wrong,” says Sarah.
In addition to catering to regular seasonal customers, Albritton Fruit Farms’ 2020 season generated new customers and moved more of their blueberries hyper-locally. It was some forward momentum for the U-pick side of the business started by the husband-and-wife team.
“Back in the day, farmers were supported by their community and would trade and sell locally. Then there was our generation that wanted instant gratification,” says Sarah. “Now, it seems things are coming full circle. People are more cognizant of where their food is coming from and looking for local and sustainably sourced food. We are going back to 100 years ago—rallying around local farmers. It’s really rewarding to see.”
Sarah credits her husband, John—a sixth-generation area farmer, the eldest of five siblings, and member of the well-respected Albritton farming family—for having the vision to add blueberries to the farm. According to Sarah, after being out in the citrus fields day after day, John sensed cultivating blueberries would be a smart way to move the family farming business forward as the threat of citrus greening continued to disrupt the industry. But when John presented the idea to elder members of the Albritton family, it wasn’t well-received—at first.
“The family had only ever done citrus and cattle,” says Sarah. “So when my husband suggested blueberries it caused quite the uproar.”
John Albritton persisted, plowing up 25 acres of old citrus trees that needed to be reset, then lighting them on fire.
“He said ‘We are doing blueberries.’”
From the start, the Albrittons knew a U-pick operation would supplement the commercial side of the blueberry farm, providing a source of income when competition from other countries entered the picture each season.
“In John’s mind, blueberries take a lot of money to grow but agrotourism was the way to go,” says Sarah. “You still have the cost of growing the commodity, but you can set your price and you are not going on a whim and prayer, like other markets.”
To implement the blueberry operation, the Albrittons leaned into their close-knit farming community for advice and also consulted with a successful blueberry farmer in Mt. Dora, Florida, who continues to be their mentor and aspiration.
“There’s not a blueprint for blueberries that says, ‘Here is how you do it.’ It’s different for every single operation,” says Sarah. “It took planning to see what would work on our specific farm.”
Planning and some intensive work, like installing all-new irrigation, to transform the field into prime a blueberry growing location. In 2015, as Sarah was pregnant with their second of their two sons—Layton, 5, and John Larit, 8—the Albrittons planted three varieties of blueberries in pots and pine bark (which helps control both the soil environment and the threat of flooding.)
In 2017, Albritton Fruit Farms was open for business.
Today, the Albritton family members are caretakers of 60,000 plants—four different varieties of blueberries. The berry picking season spans March to May.
Although happy with the success of last season’s U-pick operation, Sarah admits they were not completely prepared for it. As a result, this season, which opened March 20, returning U-pickers will notice some changes.
“Whether it’s 10 people or 10,000 people, we are prepared for what the day brings,” says Albritton, naming more parking, a full staff, and contactless checkout as just a few of the noticeable changes. And although she reminds people to follow CDC guidelines, she says there’s plenty of space for people to socially distance themselves and pull those masks down as they are comfortable out in the fields.
Return U-pickers will also notice a new blueberry on the block. In addition to the original Spring High, Emerald, and Jewel varieties, pickers will have access to the Arcadia™, planted last year. Albritton wasn’t sure if the University of Florida variety—described as a large, hardy berry—would be ready for harvest this season. But she says the bushes are loaded and will be open to eager pickers.
John and Sarah may not have predicted the pandemic, nor could they know the success the U-pick aspect would bring to their family’s farm, but they continue to be grateful for its supporters.
“Some people come every week. Some people come Saturday and Sunday,” says Sarah. “They pick and stock freezers and it’s really rewarding as the only blueberry farm in Sarasota but also because it’s supporting the Albritton Family.”
The Farm is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. but be sure to check the website for dates as they can change quickly. U-pickers should be prepared for the Florida weather —bring sun protection and water. Also, close-toed shoes are recommended, and no pets are allowed. In addition to blueberries, U-pick customers will have access to sunflowers and zinnias.
Albritton Fruit Farms: albrittonfruitfarms@gmail.com, 941-780-0888; albrittonfruitfarms.com
