FMBGN-24karrot Produce-Fresh Produce On Fort Myers Beach

Your produce shouldn’t look great at the store and fall apart in your fridge two days later. From Santini Plaza on the South End of Fort Myers Beach, we sit down with Holly from 24karrot Produce to talk about what changes when you buy fruits and vegetables that are sourced close to home and brought in without a long chain of warehouses, trucks, and mystery handling. If you care about fresh produce, local food, and supporting small business on Fort Myers Beach, this conversation is for you. 

We get into the real difference between a neighborhood produce stand and a big grocery run, including how cutting out the middleman can mean better flavor, less waste, and more confidence in what you’re feeding your family. Ollie shares how she and her partner Mark built a sourcing network across Florida, why the South End needed more options, and how the stand has turned into a friendly community hub where regulars stop by just to say hi. 

You’ll also hear what people are buying right now, from seasonal honeybells to fresh squeezed juice, plus a surprisingly popular snack move: raspberry jalapeño jelly with cream cheese and crackers. We wrap with simple, practical healthy eating tips, including why tomatoes are a great place to start if you want clean eating that still feels easy and fun. Subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a quick review so more neighbors can find these local stories.

24karrot Produce
Holly & Mark
Facebook-24karrot Produce

Santini Marina Plaza
2705 Estero Blvd. Ft Myers Beach, FL 33931
Tuesday thru Saturday 8am to 1pm

Surfside Famers Market
2354 Surfside Blvd Cape Coral, FL 33991
Sunday's 9am to 1pm

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Transcript

Welcome And Local Sponsors

Intro/Close 0:00

Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor Podcast. No shade, just sunshine, drama-free, positive vibes only. Each episode we bring you closer to the neighbors, local legends, and businesses, that support the local community and make Fort Myers Beach the slice of paradise we all love. We want to send out some island love to Spain Insurance USA, Snug Harbor, Nervous Nellies, and the Alex King Group. They're the good neighbors and businesses that allow us to share the soul of our community with every listener. Well up the beach chair, grab a drink, and let's be the people who make this island feel at home. Here's your host, Cabo Gymshower.

"Cabo" Jim 0:31

Welcome for Myers Beach Good Neighbors to another episode. Today we're on the South End down in Santini Plaza, and we have Ollie from 24 Carat Produce, right?

SPEAKER_01 0:40

Yes. Hi everybody. Thank you so much for having me.

"Cabo" Jim 0:44

Absolutely. I drive by all the time, so I've got to stop by and check out what's going on.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

I'm glad you did. Yeah.

"Cabo" Jim 0:49

So you're selling produce here, right?

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Yes, absolutely. Beautifully sourced. Fresh. Absolutely. Locally sourced from Florida, South Florida. Right. Yes. It's when you can't get any closer, any better, any more community driven.

"Cabo" Jim 1:05

Right. So what separates this produce from what I get down at Publix?

SPEAKER_01 1:10

Well, we've definitely cut out that middleman. At Publix, you who knows where it comes from. Right. You it's a different state. Right. And it gets put in this big 18-wheeler, probably. And obviously that's gonna take some chemicals to preserve it, to make it to a spine. Surprisingly, no, they do not.

"Cabo" Jim 1:31

I always had that problem. I bring it home, I put it in the fridge, and by the time I eat it, it's bad.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

Well, we we cut that that middle. So yeah, I just don't need a lot of that's all right. Ah, there you go. There you go. So are you guys originally from here? No, actually, I am born and raised North Carolina. All right. Um, we spent two years in New York City, funnily enough, before moving here. Okay, and that was certainly an experience. Yes, a good learning experience. Well, we've got the my partner has some family here. Okay. And he wanted really badly to be close to them, and I said, Well, let's let's do it. Let's do it. You know, I've been able to live close to my family for a really long time, and so I think it's fair that he gets to spend time with it.

"Cabo" Jim 2:21

Florida's not a bad place, but they're oh not bad at all.

Why The South End Needed This

SPEAKER_01 2:23

Oh, are you kidding me? It's beautiful. Absolutely.

"Cabo" Jim 2:29

So, how did you choose to set up here in Form Irish Beach?

SPEAKER_01 2:33

Well, we noticed that it was lacking uh for the produce section. You know, y'all have publics, and there's no hate towards publics. Yeah, yes. Yes, that was winning. Certainly, there's no hate towards publics, but South End needs a little love. Yes, don't you think?

"Cabo" Jim 2:54

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

So here we are, we are set up here, and we're no we're not saying we're better than publics, wink wink, but you know, we we wanted to favor the South End a little bit, help them out.

"Cabo" Jim 3:07

There you go. So you finding people more, I'm gonna say health conscious nowadays, but looking for better person.

SPEAKER_01 3:14

Yes, absolutely. We get people quite often that want to better their health. Maybe you know, they've gone to the doctor and the news wasn't so well. So they come to us and they want fresh, they want organic, they want clean eating, and we direct them. Obviously, we are no doctors, but we direct them the best we can at good produce and what to eat, and they purchase from here to better their health.

"Cabo" Jim 3:41

And you've got your regulars probably coming every day.

Fan Favorites Honeybells And Juice

SPEAKER_01 3:43

We do. The community here has been absolutely fabulous to us. We've we've created this little hub, you know, at the Santini parking lot, and we we have a dog following. Oh, really? Yes, what do the dogs eat? Well, we say that they guide their owners, their parents to eating healthy because the dogs know where the treats are. See, so they pull their dog their parents here. Yeah, who would have thunk it? Yeah, so we have quite a few locals that stop by even just to say hey, which is so meaningful.

"Cabo" Jim 4:21

So for humans, what what what are they mostly buying? What's their favorite stuff? What's most popular?

SPEAKER_01 4:28

Most popular, I would say fruit-wise are honeybells. Really? They're so juicy, so sweet, a little tangy, and they're special because of their short season.

"Cabo" Jim 4:39

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

And people, even not local people, they'll buy buckoos of them and take them home as gifts for maybe people that get to come off the vacation. Yeah.

"Cabo" Jim 4:50

So I wonder if they go good with tequila.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

You know what? They just might, but we also have juice, fresh squeeze juice that will go good with your tequila. Yes.

"Cabo" Jim 5:03

I love it.

SPEAKER_01 5:03

I love it.

"Cabo" Jim 5:04

See, everybody wins.

Surprise Hit Raspberry Jalapeno Jelly

SPEAKER_01 5:05

Yeah.

"Cabo" Jim 5:06

So are there certain things that are new or maybe trending within the industry or things that are popular that weren't popular, that's popular again?

SPEAKER_01 5:15

You know what's really popular that I am surprised, but also a little not surprised, is our jellies that we sell. Really? We have a raspberry jalapeno.

"Cabo" Jim 5:25

And it's yeah. I love raspberry and jalapenate jalapeno.

SPEAKER_01 5:28

There you go. And people put, they take like a cracker, maybe a Ritz cracker, cream cheese, and a dollop of that jam right in the mouth. And they say it's the most delicious thing. A great snack, make your little tray of it, take it by the pool or the beach. They love it.

"Cabo" Jim 5:44

And that's locally sourced here as well.

SPEAKER_01 5:46

That is out of Dundee, Florida. Okay. Which is still it's close, it's a close neighbor.

Sourcing Network Across Florida

"Cabo" Jim 5:52

Yes, absolutely. I love that. I love that. So what I want to ask here, maybe about sourcing. You've got sources, you as you mentioned, all over the state. Sure. You know, you're trying to find the best option for everybody. Absolutely. So you've got a network per se of people that you're buying from.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

Correct, yeah.

"Cabo" Jim 6:13

That's how you're able to bring this and bring us the best. So it's not just everything from Southwest Florida, it's kind of around Florida as well.

SPEAKER_01 6:19

Yeah. So places like La Belle, Arcadia, Imakley, Dundee. Some one of the products that we get out of Dundee, Florida is our grapefruits. And Mark, the the other half of this business, he doesn't even really care for grapefruits, but he loves those. They're so juicy and sweet. And you can just tell, like you can you know when something is fresh and it's close and it's not all chemically, yeah. You know, you can tell. And those grapefruit and many other items speak for themselves.

How They Got Into Produce

"Cabo" Jim 6:51

I love it. I love it. So let's back up the story a little bit. Sure. How did you get involved in produce?

SPEAKER_01 6:59

That's a great question. And I'll tell you, if someone would have told me years back that I would be involved in produce, I'd have told them they're absolutely bonkers. We we've been in the food industry as servers, you know, all that for 15 years. Yeah, Mark's been a restaurant manager. So we've done food, but our own business that literally it's just Mark and I. Right. This is pretty new to us. And like I said, we had noticed that this was lacking on the south end of the island. So we're like, let's let's do it and see what happens.

Simple Healthy Eating Advice Tomatoes

"Cabo" Jim 7:42

And that's that's my business. You find the need, you address that need, and you provide it, and that's how you grow. There you go. If you were to open it somewhere else where they didn't need produce, it's not gonna work. Exactly. You find an area where it works. Exactly. So for someone who says they want to eat healthier, what kind of options would you suggest for them?

SPEAKER_01 8:04

I would suggest, oh, that's a tough one.

"Cabo" Jim 8:06

I know there's so many different healthier options, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:09

Yeah, and people you know, when I say I'd like to eat healthier, I gravitate towards vegetables. And some people gravitate towards fruits and you know, oranges and all that. Ah, to eat, what would I say to someone who wants to eat healthier? Well, first I've tell them to come to 24 Carrots Produce. Yep, absolutely. Yep.

"Cabo" Jim 8:32

And try one of everything.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

There you go.

"Cabo" Jim 8:36

Just buy one of everything. Right, and decide what you like. Because some people like certain vegetables, certain fruits, other people don't like them. Yeah. You all got your own personal preferences and tastes. Like I love raspberries, you know. My my grandfather used to grow them up in northern Wisconsin. Um plants from our grandfather or great-grandfather, and um, so we would pick them, you know, right up the bush and eat them right there.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

Oh, what a fun memory!

"Cabo" Jim 9:03

Grandma would eat them all, put them in her ice cream all the time. So now I have to have ice cream, I gotta put my raspberries in my ice cream.

SPEAKER_01 9:08

Oh, I love that. That's precious.

"Cabo" Jim 9:11

That's what it is. So, what about eating healthy?

SPEAKER_01 9:14

So, a lot of people don't know that tomatoes, they're more than just something you put on your BLT or your hamburger. They are actually a superfood, they do so many wonderful things for your body. So, I think that would be a great eat more tomatoes would be a great way to start the health journey. They do uh they help lower cholesterol and your blood pressure, they have high levels of antioxidants, which is great with you know, sick going around and we're all cautious of that. Um, they reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers. Wow, and promote healthy skin, which we need in the sun, you know, we need to keep our skin in check in this Florida sun. Absolutely, I completely feel you. So I can make salsa out of that, right? Salsa, tomato sauce, right? Again, on your sandwiches. Yeah, you can use a tomato in so many ways, eat it raw. People love to do that.

"Cabo" Jim 10:08

My grandpa used to eat eat raw uh potatoes. Potato with a peach, potatoes, he'd eat it like an apple. I'm like, I'm like, uh, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 10:19

I have never heard of that in my entire life.

"Cabo" Jim 10:22

I'm like, I don't know how I did it. They're kind of slimy when they're when they're raw, right? Did he do any salt, pepper, or anything? No, we just ate it like an apple. Oh my goodness. I know, right? Wow. And they had something called, I don't know if you've heard of it, calorabi. No like a cucumber kind of it was it was kind of like round like an apple, but it was um in that in that field. Interesting. Wow. I have a little farm background. My great grandparents owned the farm, so we had a lot of stuff on oh I love that for growing anything. It wasn't it wasn't cows like I have answered, but that stuff. So for those people that are looking for healthier, cleaner options than our regular grocery store, how they find you.

SPEAKER_01 11:12

Well, they can always find us Tuesday through Saturday in the Santini parking lot. We are open, waiting, smiling faces, ready to serve. And uh, if they have any questions or comments, concerns, they can find us on Facebook and Instagram. Okay. At 24 Carts Produce. That's our handle.

"Cabo" Jim 11:32

Nice.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

Yeah. And uh send us a message, comment on a comment on a photo, and we'll reach back out as quickly as we can.

"Cabo" Jim 11:39

Very good. I love it. Any last words for listeners today?

SPEAKER_01 11:43

Uh be healthy with 24 Carats Produce. We are here. We want to get to know you, and I want to thank the community for what we've already grown and and everyone who's been so kind and helpful and supported local. It's been wonderful. Thank you.

"Cabo" Jim 11:59

I love that you guys are on this end of the beach. You know, we're all on Fort Myers Beach, but that's I live two blocks away, so it's even better for me. There you go. Oh, I can stop there and pick up on my stuff now. So yeah. Well, thank you. It's been a pleasure getting to know you guys. Thank you for being such good neighbors, and we'll see you Tuesday through Saturday.

SPEAKER_01 12:18

Tuesday through Saturday, and don't forget, Tuesday and Thursday is the big market. The big so you can eat healthy and and have fun and see everybody all the time. You're right, what a day! We just planned, y'all's perfect day.

"Cabo" Jim 12:31

There you go. Come on now. Well, thank you again.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

Thank you for having me. Yep.

Intro/Close 12:35

Thanks for tuning in to the Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor podcast. No shade, just sunshine, drama-free, positive vibes only. If you love what you heard, share it with a friend and keep the good vibes going. Until next time, we're working at Cabo until the Wobbo and be a good neighbor. Also, nominate your favorite neighbors of Legends, Heroes or Local Listen together show. Go to fbgoodneighbor.com. That's fbgoodneighter.com. Or call 6947-4100. Island Love USA, Nut Harbor, nervous belly, islands. Allow it to the solar. Celebrating all the McCoy. We all love.