Mixon Fruit Farms
You could say Mixon Fruit Farms grew up
alongside Bradenton’s tourism industry. The
grandmother of current owner Dean Mixon
catered to the city’s out-of-state visitors who
desired a taste of Florida after they returned
to their houses. “The wealthy families
wanted the fruit shipped to their homes
in the north,” says Dean’s wife, Janet. “She
would load her six children up in the truck
and take them, along with a load of fruit, to
the big hotel in downtown Bradenton. This
was the start of gift fruit shipping in Florida.”
www.mixon.com
These days, the Mixons ship approximately 30,000
packages a year to addresses all over the United States
from their farm, which is now a tourist destination itself.
Besides the 14,000-square-foot gift shop that lures guests
with its famous fudge and orange swirl ice cream, the
property also has a wildlife rescue with emus, crocodiles
and snakes, along with an organic bamboo plantation.
The Mixon tram can cart up to 75 people to these and
other attractions throughout the farm. Those additions
and others were made after 2006, when Dean and Janet
purchased the farm from his father and brother. “We
knew there was a need to diversify and we wanted to
make a place where memories were made,” Mixon says.
Dean and Janet’s shared memories date back to 1955,
when they met as kindergartners after Janet’s family
moved to Bradenton. She immediately began her
relationship with the Mixons and their farm. “We were
the kumquat kids,” she says. “When the family put
boxes together for shipping, they used to put a sprig of
kumquats in each box. That was our job.”
Given their lifelong commitment to each other, it seems
only appropriate that another one of Dean and Janet’s
enhancements to the farm is a wedding venue. “It is
always awesome when I meet a parent that is having a
birthday party here and they tell me they got married at
our Pavilion a few years back,” Mixon says.
In addition to private celebrations, Mixon Fruit Farms
presents community events. On November 6, 2021, Taste
of Mixon’s will take place. Approximately 10 food stations
will offer samples prepared by students in the Southeast
High Schools Culinary Arts class. Attendees taste and
vote for their favorite item, and prizes and trophies are
awarded for the most popular dishes. The following week,
November 13, is the date of the Mixon Harvest Festival,
where about 70 crafters will display and sell their works.
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