How do peppers get from the field to your local store?

Have you ever wondered how peppers get from the farm to your house?  Well we can tell you just how, because we went on a tour at Pero Family Farms main facility in Florida with Marketing Manager and Chef Scott Seddon. 

Pero’s started as a family farm in a house and has now expanded to lots of acres of land which include 10,000 acres in Florida.  In the winter, that land is the warmest part of the United States.  “This location’s micro-climate unique in Florida, allows for optimal year-round conditions for agricultural cultivation, and contains uniquely located wetlands”, according to the Agricultural Reserve Workshop Executive Summary.

Pero’s produces about 500,000 pounds of delicious peppers a week and donates all of the peppers that they cannot sell to food shelters.  From the seed to your mouth this long process takes about 120 days. 

Marketing Manager and Chef Scott Seddon said, “I would tell kids that my job is different.  It is also rewarding to show kids the process and I like that I get to cook.  I am also happy to say that all of our employees are Legal Residents of the United States.”

To start, the peppers are grown inside in a greenhouse until they are seedlings. This normally takes 30 days. 

Then the peppers are moved outside and planted in the ground. This is a long process because workers have to raise the soil, plant the plants, and then put plastic over the raised soil to help prevent weeds. 

The workers water the plants through one long hose with holes on the sides, so each plant gets the same amount of water.  That process is called drip irrigation. 

First you will see flowers that the bees help pollinate.  Next you will see green peppers.  That is the color that every pepper starts with until they mature and their seed sends a message to the pepper telling it what color it will be. Colors range from red, orange, and yellow or just plain old green. 

When the peppers are ready to pick workers go and pick the peppers. They put them is crates and bring the peppers inside to get packaged.  The peppers are washed, dried, and cooled at 42 degrees.  This is the temperature that they stay at starting when they go inside.  

After they are cleaned, dried, and packaged the trucks come inside of the cooler to get the peppers.  The trucks come inside of the cooler to make sure that the peppers stay at 42 degrees.  From the beginning to the end, Pero's is focused on getting you quality peppers! 

You may be wondering what makes a pepper sweet or spicy.  Well it is all in the seed blend.  Just like the color, the seed sends a message to the pepper telling it whether to be sweet or spicy. 

As you will see on all of their packages, “Our Mini Sweet Peppers are the perfect snack!  They are an excellent source for Vitamin C, low in calories, have no fat or cholesterol and are a big on flavor and crunch.  Snack on ‘em with your favorite dip, or stuffed with your own creation!  Snack on ‘em in your salad, or right of the grill!  Any way you choose, our Mini Sweet Peppers are a sweet treat to eat!”  I could not agree more!

Now think about these things the next time you buy a pepper from the store and taste it.  Think about how far it has traveled.  Maybe you will want to eat some more peppers!!   

For more fun family articles and ways to give back in the community, visit Caring Kids Cards.