If you had told Jerry Mixon when he was in high school that one day he would be a blueberry farmer, he would’ve laughed.

There’s nothing else he would rather be doing now, however. “I never dreamed of it … but I’ve loved it ever since we started it – it’s been great.” Mixon, along with his brothers Keith and Greg, form the trio at the helm of Sunnyridge Farm Inc., formerly known as Mixon Family Farms.

The team has just the right chemistry, playing off of each other’s strengths, Jerry says. “We all mix well. Keith is the big-picture guy with the vision for our business. As head of the sales department, Greg is passionate about taking care of his customers. He also has a good understanding of taking care of growers because he understands that without growers you don’t have product.” As vice president and farm manager, Jerry oversees day-to-day field operations.

What started as a citrus and cattle operation has morphed into a bustling blueberry farm. Mixon Family Farms’ Haines City property, purchased in 1983, consists of 210 acres of blueberries and 100 acres of citrus. “We visited a lot of different farms initially. We started out with five acres, then expanded to seven, and grew from there,” he explained. The Sunnyridge operation includes a network of blueberry and blackberry farms in Florida and Georgia as well as North, Central and South America to ensure year-round availability.

On a recent morning as he drove through the fields, Jerry was upbeat about the blueberry industry and the family’s business, despite numerous challenges.

“A lot of attention is being given to the health benefits of blueberries, and this is a very desirable window to be in,” he said. “There’s quite a bit of acreage now. When we got into the industry back in the early to mid-‘90s, there were less than a million pounds generated in Florida. Now, we’re looking at 6 million this year and 7 million next year. It’s going to be challenging with all that extra production, but there doesn’t seem to be a slack in demand.”

Jerry Mixon inspects this season's blueberry crop at his family's operation, Haines City-based Sunnyridge Farms.

Sunnyridge is working to stay ahead of the food safety issue, taking the initiative to become EurepGap certified. EurepGap’s standards seek to ensure “integrity, transparency and harmonization of global agricultural standards, including the requirements for safe food that is produced respecting worker health, safety and welfare, environmental and animal welfare issues,” according to the company’s Web site.

“We wanted to take third-party certification to the next level,” Jerry said. “All of the farms that we deal with in Florida, Georgia and other places will be EurepGap-certified. That gives our customers the reassurance that we’re doing the right thing as best we can do and to their standards.”

Responding to the ever-increasing consumer demand for organics, the company is slowly moving into that arena. “We’re moving that way. It’s difficult in Florida to produce organic anything, as the citrus guys will tell you. But our new farm in Hardee County will have some organic production on it. It was recently been entered into the program so in three years we will be officially organic. That’s kind of exciting… challenging, but exciting.”

And the Mixons continue to work on producing varieties that will thrive in Florida’s sub-tropical climate. Teaming up about two years ago with University of Florida researchers  who hand-pollinate flowers in the greenhouse, the company is looking to develop the “best of the best -- best size and best taste,” Jerry said.

Will the next generation of Mixons carry on the family business? That’s tough to answer right now – the oldest of the brothers’ 11 children is just 16 right now. “I don’t know if they will,” Jerry admits. “I hope they do. It’s every family business’s dream is to keep it in the family. But the business will be strong, whether they come on or not. That’s for sure.”