Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooks Boyette
Brooks, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Boyette Family Farms started in the fall of November 2016. Brooks Boyette is the owner and a 7th generation Floridian. The Boyette family is one of the original founding families of Wesley Chapel and the farm is located on the original Boyette Homestead that dates back to 1843. On the property we farm both traditionally (in dirt) and use a hydroponic system as well. In dirt, we grow everything from cucumbers, squash, zucchini, greens and black eyed peas. In the hydroponics, we grow several varieties of lettuce, tomatoes, and herbs (just to name a few of our post popular items).
Brooks is the son of Calvin Boyette, who even in his 70’s can be found working at the family farm as well. Calvin himself has a long history of farming in the area, he spent several years growing watermelon and logging throughout Wesley Chapel and other areas of Florida. Calvin’s sister Sue even works at the farm too! You can find her working the cash register or working different areas of the farm and market as well.
The farm has definitely grown a lot over the years. What started out as a few tables and a tent selling Boyette grown produce and a few other items, is now a full blown operation where you can find more than 100 different items daily, both from our farms and other farmers across the state as well. We also partner with other local businesses and sell local elderberry, microgreens, olive oils and vinegars, and mushrooms.
In addition to the farmstand/market on the property, there is also now a food truck on site too called, Boyette Fresh! Brooks’ sister, Laci, started the food truck in 2023. Boyette Fresh sells acai bowls, fruit cups, strawberry shortcake, avacado toast, milkshakes and smoothies (among many other items) and of course all the fruits and veggies come fresh from Boyette Family Farms.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Farming is NEVER a smooth road. You are always dependent on weather.
2024 was one of our hardest years yet as we had two hurricanes back to back which set us back a number of weeks on harvesting and left several days where we had to closedown the market to prep, hunker down, and then clean-up after the storms passed. It was hard to complain though, because we know businesses and families lost a lot more than we did.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are one of the ONLY local produce stands/markets in the area that is also a working farm. We pride ourselves in loving our community and really getting to KNOW our customers and neighbors. We are truly a family farm and we want our customers to feel like family too.
Farm/Market Hours:
Tuesday-Friday 9am-6pm
Saturdays 10am-4pm
Food Truck Hours:
Tuesday-Friday 11am-5pm
Saturday 10am-4pm
While we would love to be open 7 days a week, we are a family farm. It is important that we have Sundays and Mondays to shut down mentally (as much as we can as farming never stops) and enjoy time with family as well. Brooks married his high school sweatheart and will be celebrating 20 years of marriage this spring. They also have 3 active kiddos (a daughter and two sons). When Brooks isn’t working at the farm, he is likely as the baseball fields coaching his oldest son’s team, The Wesley Chapel Storm.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
We occasionally host markets at the farm as well, where we invite other local businesses to set up shop and sell their products as well. We also host other food trucks on property too like the popular Puerto Rican food truck, K’ndungo, our local seafood distributor, Locals Seas Fisheries and a local cattle farmer, HM Cattle that sells local beef. You can also find a local sourdough baker, Purely Park Sourdough, on site several times a month too!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boyettefamilyfarms/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoyetteFamilyFarms
