Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.” Perhaps that quote can best describe the culture at Costa Farms.
“It’s a very competitive culture,” says Jose Smith, president and CEO of Costa Farms. “I think within the entire organization there’s just a desire to win.”
Smith says that no matter what victories or defeats the company may encounter, it is always looking for the next opportunity to succeed.
“It’s really been a key part in our success,” he says.
With around 2,100 acres of production space, roughly 4,000 employees, and more than $300 million in annual revenue, it’s not hard to imagine the kind of ambition Costa Farms has. It’s that ambition that is fueling the company’s current innovations and progress.
Right now, the most innovative thing Costa Farms is doing is focusing on consumer research, from everything such as national surveys to walking with consumers as they tour the trial gardens. Smith says that the company became very serious about R&D about three years ago and is just starting to bring new things to the market now.
“A lot of things are in the pipeline now,” he says. “And we expect to reap very large benefits from this moving forward.”
Costa Farms decided to put more focus on consumer research when it brought in new employees to its marketing department, and they asked tough questions about what the company knew of its consumers.
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Specifics Name: Costa Farms Headquarters: Goulds, Fla. Founded: 1961 Production space: About 2,100 acres Major crops: Foliage and tropical plants: ferns, palms, orchids; perennials: hostas; annuals: mandevillas Major customers: Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, wholesale clubs, supermarkets, IKEA Number of employees: About 4,000 Annual revenue: More than $300 million |
“A lot of the information we had [about consumers] was provided by breeders,” Smith says. “We just felt we were missing something. So as we developed our marketing and became more mature, we realized that we needed to spend a lot more effort in that area.”
Another area the company became very serious about was its human resources. It has started programs that range from recruiting senior professionals, to offering a literacy program to teach its field workers how to read and write.
“There’s a movement to recruit better and to do a better job developing the talent that we currently have, Smith says.
“We need our entire work force to be more productive. Our costs are only going up. So we’re doing everything we can to make [our team] more productive.”
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3 Tips from Jose Smith 1. Know your costs. “I run into so many people who don’t have a great understanding of where they’re making money. So first and foremost, understand the business and understand your costs.” 2. Find your niche. “Smaller growers have a harder time providing some of the things that the larger growers can do for their customers. The ones that have flourished are growers who really specialize in a niche, and they do a phenomenal job at what they do.” 3. Focus on your team. “I think all of us need to do a much better job reaching out to other industries, reaching out to people who can bring new ideas. We need to get talent from outside the industry and bring it in.” |
For more: Costa Farms, (800) 327-7074 or www.costafarms.com
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