Global Organic To Relocate Operations To Sarasota County

A wholesale organic produce distributor will expand and relocate its operations to Sarasota County after receiving a performance-based incentive from Sarasota County Government Wednesday.

, announced Thursday that it will combine its Miami and Manatee County operations in a larger warehouse to accommodate the company’s growth. The company’s Manatee County location is at 7345 16^th St. E, Sarasota, just north of the .

The expansion is expected to result in 62 new full-time jobs over the next five years, according to Mark Huey, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County (EDC).  The business is required to add those jobs as part of the incentive. 

“This was a case of regional collaboration to keep a successful company and fine employer in the Sarasota-Manatee community,” Huey said. “Working with our colleagues at the Manatee Economic Development Corp., we were able to assist Global Organic Specialty Source in expediting the company’s expansion. Global Organic started in Sarasota County and outgrew the facility, then moved to Manatee County and outgrew another home, and is now returning to Sarasota County to continue growing.” 

The average salary will be more tha  $41,000, said Jeff Maultsby, manager for business and economic development, at Wednesday’s County Commission meeting. 

Global Organic Specialty Source (www.globalorganics.ws) is a wholesale distributor of certified organic produce, serving large supermarkets, retail stores, restaurants, resorts, and buying clubs/co-ops. 

The company’s new home will be at 85,000 square feet in Meridian Center at 6284 McIntosh Road in Sarasota. It’s an adaptive reuse of a building, noted County Commissioner Joseph Barbetta.

“Jobs are important, and the economic impact is pretty strong here,” Barbetta said.

The company’s economic impact to Sarasota County will be $72 million, Maultsby said.

Sarasota County Commissioners approved Wednesday $124,000 in performance-based economic development incentives to expedite the company’s expansion. Commissioner Jon Thaxton voted against awarding the incentive.

The project was under the appropriately coded name Project Pineapple. 

The company had requested more money, but the commission and staff stuck to its budget, County Commissioner Chairwoman Christine Robinson said.

“It should be noted that we do analyze and vet these things before they come before us to make sure that the incentive is appropriate for what they’re asking for,” Robinson said. “It’s not a given that when you ask for something that you’re going to get it.” 

Global Organic president Mitch Blumenthal said the organic produce business is booming. 

“The organic industry has shown double-digit growth over the last year as people become more aware and concerned about their food sources and health,” said Mitch Blumenthal, president of Global Organic Specialty Source. “We also have a reputation for freshness and quality which has aided us in our growth. We currently serve the Southeastern U.S. and export to the outlying Caribbean islands. We’ve simply outgrown our current physical plant. The larger facility will allow us to move our Miami operations to Sarasota so that we will receive ocean containers in Sarasota for national distribution and oversee all of our operations under one roof.”

“This is a great opportunity to support the growth and success of a company that supplies healthy, organic produce to the public,” said Christine Robinson, Chair of the Sarasota County Commission. “Global Organic Specialty Source also plays a vital role in working closely with small sustainable local farms that are important to our economy.”

Blumenthal estimates that the company will invest $930,000 to renovate the building and add new equipment to automate processes and support its expansion into handling frozen food products.

New jobs planned by Global Organic over the next five years include leadership positions, staff for the frozen food business, quality control, operations, marketing, sales and procurement, Blumenthal said. The new facility should be operational in July. Job openings will be listed in local newspapers, on Craiglist and at BlueSkySearch.com.

The decision to leave Manatee County wasn’t easy, Blumenthal said. 

“Sarasota County is a national leader when it comes to supporting sustainable and green businesses,” Blumenthal said. “I am a local organic farmer and the officers of the company are also residents of Sarasota. We have found wonderful vendors and customers here. This relocation also brings us closer to the highway, which lowers our carbon footprint." 

“We have to thank both the Manatee and Sarasota EDCs, which helped us explore options for our relocation,” he said. “The support and understanding of the Manatee EDC as we came to realize our needs would best be met in Sarasota was really wonderful. The EDC of Sarasota County clearly outlined the economic development expectations and desires of the community and helped us investigate opportunities as we took on this large capital expansion. County staff gave us a clear picture of the county’s role in the project, with both the EDC and county touring our current facility to better understand our needs.”