A History of Quality

In the dawn of the 1900s, John Thomas, Sr.’s, destiny as a farmer was sowed in a field outside Buffalo, New York, with a few sticks of dynamite. His father, Angelo, dynamited old stumps to clear the land in favor of beans and other vegetables. As an infant, he was out in the fields with his parents, even though he was too young to pick. “My mother put me in a bushel basket,” Thomas said. By the 1930s, the family was growing crops for canning: beans, tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, raspberries and strawberries. During World War II, John Thomas's role as a food producer was so vital to the country that the government exempted him from military service. After the war, the industry in New York began to change, with vegetable growing for canning moving to other states.

Thomas had his eye on Florida, where he believed the fresh winter vegetable market could be a good one. By the late 1950s, Thomas had his first crop of beans, squash and bell peppers on 800 acres in southern Palm Beach County, founding Thomas Produce Company. Today, Mr. Thomas is joined by his seven children and hundreds of dedicated employees in providing quality vegetables to customers who want to be sure they are getting the freshest produce available. 

A Commitment to the Future

The Thomas family has owned and operated its Florida farm and business since 1958. Today, Thomas Produce is recognized as the largest vegetable-growing operation in the state of Florida, with 13,000 acres in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie and Hendry counties.

Our mission is simple: to grow our food in harmony with nature, respecting the complex and subtle balance of our ecosystems. Our family’s goal is simple, too: to provide healthy, delicious food for you to enjoy today, tomorrow – and for generations to come.

A Pledge of Satisfaction

Thomas Produce generates over five million boxes each year of bell peppers, specialty peppers, squash, cucumbers and green beans – each grown, harvested and delivered at the peak of freshness and to the highest standards of quality. Our products are known by our family name and we will do whatever it takes to ensure their quality and your satisfaction.

Purchased from their families in 1985 Bill Brim and Ed Walker set out to change the their business as they new it. In 1989 they built the first greenhouses and 2 years later they began growing produce. After 4 years they built their first of two packing facilities.

Now over 80 years later Lewis Taylor Farms grows more than 6500 acres of produce each year. We have continued to grow and add to our greenhouse operation with currently 81 greenhouses at just under 900,000 square ft of growing space as well as 6 circle pivots holding all 80 million pine seedlings we grow each year.

Lewis Taylor Farms has three divisions, Quality Produce, Spring Hill Produce, and LTF Greenhouses.

Using the latest technology, Quality Produce, LLC., has over 6500 acres in plasticulture and ground vegetable production. By reducing weed competition and improving plant yields, plasticulture produces vegetables that are higher in quality and are more shipping tolerant resulting in a longer shelf life.​ Most of the acreage is irrigated and fertilized through a computerized drip irrigation system that puts water and nutrients right to the root zone of the plants, thus increasing efficiency of water use over 80% and eliminating runoff.​

Quality Produce, LLC. manages one of the packing facilities and the farming enterprise that produces over 25 commodities including peppers, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, strawberries and some row crops like peanuts and cotton. We take pride in being among the first produce farms in the State of Georgia to be certified under GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) and GMP (Good Management Practices). Quality Produce, LLC. is certified under the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) audit program.

Spring Hill Produce

Spring Hill Produce manages the packing facility specializing in cantaloupes, watermelons, broccoli, tomatoes, cabbage and greens. For rapid cooling to remove a large percentage of heat from the product, a state of art Hydro Cooler, slusher and clam shell icer are onsite as an integral part of the produce quality program. Always looking forward, this packing facility conforms to the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) audit as well as the "over and above" requirements of the  Eastern Cantaloupe Growers Association (ECGA).​

Under the new initiative introduced by the ECGA, elevated food safety measures for cantaloupes were undertaken starting in 2013 growing season, in the field, harvest crew and packing facility. For the first time an unannounced mini audit is introduced. This is an additional food safety step to reassure our retailers. Spring Hill, LLC. packing and cooling operations can accommodate fresh produce needs from the largest supermarket chains to the independent specialty markets. 

LTF Greenhouses and Transplants

Continuing in the tradition of the farm's founder, the company proudly continues to produce top quality vegetable transplants for both internal farm use and to supply and meet the needs of growers over the South and Southeastern U.S.

LTF Greenhouses, LLC. currently has over 900,000 square feet of greenhouse growing space and a competent, experienced staff giving it the ability to produce over 350 million transplants annually and, as well as 7 pivot irrigation that produces 75 million containerized pine seedlings to satisfy the demand of producers and the wholesale market. LTF Greenhouses, LLC. produces top quality vegetable, cantaloupe and watermelon transplants.