Branchton Farms Has New Tampa's Freshest Produce

By Gary Nager

Whether you live in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel, I strongly urge you to visit Branchton Farms — the amazing fresh produce-and-so-much-more stand located on Morris Bridge Rd., south of Cross Creek Blvd., in the New Tampa area (about two miles south of the Pasco County line).

Now, I consider myself to be something of a long-time resident of both of our distribution areas — having moved to Saddlebrook in Wesley Chapel in 1993 and to Hunter’s Green in New Tampa in 1995 (a year or so after I became the owner and editor of Neighborhood News).

Even so, I’m like a total newcomer compared with Mikele Branch and her father Wayne. In fact, before the area from Morris Bridge Rd. west to what is now Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and north to the county line was called “New Tampa,” it was known as Branchton, which was named for Mikele’s and Wayne’s ancestors, who first settled in the area in 1888!

Mikele (a fifth generation local resident), Wayne and their family still live on the eleven acres they own on Morris Bridge Rd., but a little less than two years ago, the experienced farmers, who already had been buying and selling produce — much of which they grow themselves — started their first produce stand with just a few tents. Then, in October 2013, the Branch family completed the 2,000-sq.-ft. structure, and Mikele says expansion plans are in the works.

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“We definitely have room and plans to grow here,” she says. “We want to add more items, a small café and anything else there’s a real demand for here.”

There certainly already seems to be a lot of demand for the Branch family’s produce — the sizable parking lot around the stand was packed the Friday we went to press — and Mikele says that Friday is now her busiest day of the week.

“We bring in farm-fresh, free range eggs every Friday morning and we have customers who come every week — or at least, every other week — to stock up on them. Our customers tell us they can really taste the difference. We sell hundreds of them every week.”

One of the things that impressed yours truly almost immediately was not just how clean and neat all the produce is arranged at Branchton Farms, but how attractive the entire open “store” is.

“It really is a perfect place for people who live in this area,” said one New Tampa customer who also reads and loves his New Tampa Neighborhood News. “I bet this place is going to become even a lot more popular when this article comes out.”

Mikele also notes that although her family grows a lot of the produce (especially the veggies) sold at her stand, even more is grown by other local farmers.

And, speaking of fruit, she adds that the Florida citrus season is about over, although I did buy some amazing “last of the season” (and huge!) Florida navel oranges that are so sweet that the room smells for quite a while after you eat them like a natural citrus air freshener. “We just stop carrying oranges and grapefruits in the summer, rather than bring in those perfect-looking ones from California,” she says. “I prefer and support Florida citrus.”

She also notes that her incredibly delicious veggies — including some beautiful, firm Immokalee (FL) tomatoes, the biggest, most delicious cucumbers and jumbo carrots I’ve seen in recent memory and more — are grown in and around our area and our state and that’s the way Mikele says it will stay.

“It seems everyone is getting into locally grown, fresh produce these days,” she says, “Even chain restaurants are starting to visit the Farmers Markets and we definitely do restaurant deliveries, as well as sell at the Shops at Wiregrass mall’s Fresh Markets and more. So, if anyone reading this owns a local restaurant, I hope they’ll come see us first because I know we have the best produce in the area. And, because we don’t have to pay rent to be here, I know we have some of the best prices, too.”

Branchton Farms (15320 Morris Bridge Rd.) is open Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-7 p.m., and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sat. & Sun. For more information, including a coupon for a free pound of bananas (with the ad on page 28 of this issue), call 504-5524.