Farm buys land for multimillion-dollar HQ project

PLANT CITY — Wish Farms has acquired a 36-acre parcel that will house the berry grower’s new headquarters facility. It will be built by the Beck Group and RCS Company on the site located along Interstate 4, west of Park Road.

Wish Farms officials declined to disclose the cost of the land or the facility’s budget in a statement, but they say it’s a multimillion-dollar project that will include the construction of a 138,000-square-foot warehouse and a 20,000-square-foot, three-story office building. Wish Farms plans to add operations and office staff members as a result of the expansion, though it does not specify how many.

According to the Florida Department of Transportation, approximately 115,000 vehicles travel daily along the stretch of highway bordering Wish Farms’ new site. 

“Visibility was a major factor in the selection of the site, as that falls in line with the strategic vision for our brand,” Wish Farms owner Gary Wishnatzki states in the release. “We want to carry on the nearly 100-year-old tradition between our company and this community, so I’m extremely pleased that we are staying in Plant City.” 

According to the release, the company’s new headquarters will boast many innovative features, including a large solar-power array, an organic blueberry farm and a treehouse conference space being designed and built by James “B’fer” Roth, from DIY Network’s The Treehouse Guys. An adult-sized indoor slide and a large rooftop deck will be prominent features.

“I see our new campus as a retention and recruiting tool for top talent,” Wishnatzki states in the release, “but I’m really excited that our new home is going to reflect our fun, family-friendly brand.”

The land for the project was acquired from Joe Kuhn, whose family had owned the parcel since 1929.