Spread across 40 acres on the outskirts of Plant City, just north of Interstate 4, you’ll find one of the hidden gems of the Tampa Bay food and beverage scene: Keel Farms and Keel & Curley Winery, complementary companies founded by blueberry farmer Joe Keel and are now run by his son, Clay Keel, who’s helped transform the family business into a $10 million operation that’s been grown 30% in the past few years.
The Keel brands’ evolution from agricultural business to dining and entertainment hub is a testament to the power of creativity, innovation and what you might call, for lack of a better term, tinkering — and never being totally satisfied and settled in your line of work.