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Community Corner

Orange You Glad to Have Bearss Groves?

Local farmer's market provides fresh produce and world class juice

It sits inconspicuously on Lake Magdalene Boulevard just off of Bearss Avenue in Carrollwood. You would hardly notice it if you didn't  stop to look. But Bearss Groves farmer's market is the type of place you will remember and return to once you've experienced it.

Barry Lawrance started at Bearss Groves in 1993. He was working across the street from Marty Bearss’ house at a table selling bags of oranges that were freshly picked from the Bearss family orange grove.

In 1998, Lawrance and a Jay Friedman purchased the orange juice company from Marty Bearss. And in 2007, Lawrance took over as sole proprietor.

Bearss Groves now sells a lot more than bags of oranges. They drive to Georgia every week and bring back fresh peaches from Lane Packing Company. Ferris Farms in Floral City provides the market with top quality strawberries and blueberries. And you'll also find freshly-grown broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and cabbage during winter.

“They’re easier to grow in the winter time without fighting the bugs. In the summer, the bugs will win every time,” Lawrance said. “Last year, we planted 10 acres of pumpkins, and literally overnight, the bugs ate everything in the field.”

The rest of the market’s produce comes from places like Plant City Market, Tampa Wholesale Market and other sources.

Lawrance is quick to remind people that they harvest all of their own citrus from groves they own in Land O’ Lakes, Lutz, Odessa and Tampa.

“The thing that has put us on the map, and the reason we stay busy, is our fresh squeezed orange juice, grapefruit juice and tangerine juice,” Lawrance said. “The tangerine juice is unbeatable. When we finally run out of that fruit people’s hearts are crushed.”

Another plus: Everything grown by Bearss Groves is free of pesticides.

However, not everything the market carries is organic.

The reason? Lawrance says he refuses to purchase a product from half way around the world in order to maintain the “organic” label.

“The foot train of an apple that has traveled from New Zealand to the United States is far more harmful to the environment than something grown locally that is not organic,” Lawrance said. “It’s sad that people are so stuck to the idea that produce has to be organic that they are willing to sacrifice the environment in another sense.”

Lawrance blames marketing for creating what he calls an “organic monster." He warns against the senseless practice of buying soft fruit from other countries when they are readily available in the United States.

Bearss Groves fills an 18-foot box truck with fresh stock every day to ensure that customers have access to the highest quality food. Almost every piece of stock on the floor of the market will be rotated within two days.

They also sell wholesale to many of the restaurants and country clubs in the area, which increases their buying power.

“In that aspect we’re competing with major companies like Sysco. Obviously, we don’t have their buying power,” Lawrance said. “But they buy in massive quantities and store the food in warehouses. With us, it’s straight from the farm to the restaurant to the customer.”

The market also carries items like Amish bacon and cheese, which they buy from Troyer’s of South Florida, an independent label similar to Boar’s Head, but in Lawrance’s opinion of higher quality and actually lower in cost than brands like Oscar Myer purchased from a supermarket.

Bearss Grove has a localized following who realize that they can get better quality produce at a better price from a local business who buys from and sells to other local businesses.

Miriam Kessler has been a patron of the market for 13 years. She lives in Magdalene Groves, and she loves the idea of locally produced farmer’s market food. She stopped by one day at her husband’s suggestion.

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“I go there for a couple of reasons. I enjoy the fresh juice that they do there,” Kessler said. “I’m a big fan of the oranges and the tangerines – all the juicing that they do. And then all the fruits and vegetables are really important to me, being a fruits and vegetable kind of a gal.”

Kessler says she loves the location, especially the large, old oak tree there. She describes it as an organic feel. She likes the employees and wants to support a good local business.

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There is another reason Kessler like the Groves. Kessler was diagnosed with breast cancer last May. She went through four months of chemotherapy, had a double mastectomy and subsequent reconstructive surgery.

Kesslery says that fresh, raw foods contribute to her health care management. In addition to supplements and an exercise program, she follows a modified macrobiotic diet, which includes a lot vegetables, healthy grains, fruit and juices.

Last October, before her surgery, Kessler, her husband and a friend went to Bearss Groves when pumpkins were available. The market had some very large pumpkins available for purchase.

“Our friend and my husband each picked up one of the huge pumpkins and I stood between them,” Kessler said. “We joked around that these were what my new globes might look like. We said that Bearss Groves could provide my new globes.”

Many of the market’s specials are posted on their Facebook page so that customers can keep an eye out for particularly fresh or sale priced items.

Lawrance says that the greatest challenge of his job is also its greatest reward. Although some shoppers may prefer a climate controlled environment with shiny floors, he finds satisfaction in providing value for his customers and working outdoors.

“You get the feeling when you come in that our employees are happy. They enjoy their job and being outside as well,” Lawrance said. “I tease my employees all the time, but we’re like a small family. It’s a really cool environment.”

For more information please visit http://www.facebook.com/BearssGroves.

Bearss Groves is located at 14316 Lake Magdalene Boulevard in Tampa. Hours are 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. daily.

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