Berry grower-marketer Wish Farms has announced a new organic blueberry farm located in Alturas, Florida, which is intended to plug the supply gap in the U.S. at certain times of the year. 

The 'Misty Organics' project began as an idea in 2014 and represents a joint-venture that includes three Wish Farms veterans - Gary Wishnatzki, J.C. Clinard and Teddy Koukoulis.

With rising demand for organic blueberries, supply falls short of consumer and retail demand during certain times of the year.

As South American blueberry production starts dropping off in late February, supply can be tight until the Southeastern U.S. ramps up in late April, the company said. Misty Organics hopes to fill the gap during that challenging window.

“Necessity is the mother of invention. When you see a need, you’ve got to recognize the opportunity to fill that void,” said Wish Farm's blueberry operations director Teddy Koukoulis.

The 20-acre farm sits on a south facing slope that overlooks a lake front. This geographical arrangement, coupled with high tunnels, creates a greenhouse effect, according to the company.

The high tunnels not only provide freeze protection for the crop, they also provide higher growing temperatures during cooler periods. The cover also protects the crop from rain, hail and general moisture.

“It took us a year just to find the perfect plot of land”, said Wish Farms COO JC Clinard.

“We’ve had the opportunity to travel the world and observe some of the best farming practices, and we used that information to make the best possible decisions to build this project.”

Misty Organics' entire crop is grown in containers, which allows for twice the number of plants per acre than a typical blueberry farm.

Additionally, the farm showcases high-tech soil moisture sensors and drip irrigation that drastically reduces water usage. With more than seven blueberry varieties featured, the team can also observe which varieties perform on output and quality.

 “We’re excited to continue innovating as a company,” said Wish Farms CEO Gary Wishnatzki.

“Misty Organics is an important piece of the puzzle. By extending the Florida growing season, we can continue providing consumers with high-quality, domestic blueberries.”

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