On November 9, Pepe Fanjul and his family were recognized by the Western Palm Beach County Farm Bureau as the Everglades Agricultural Area 2016 Farm Family of the Year. The award was presented by John Hundley, Chairman of the Board of the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida, at Ray’s Heritage Packing House in Belle Glade.
The award is given to farm families who exhibit excellence in their commitment to agriculture and civic engagement in the Glades region of western Palm Beach County, where the Fanjul family has been farming since 1960. The family’s companies, Fanjul Corp. and Florida Crystals Corporation, produce sugarcane, rice and sweetcorn. They are also a longtime source of support for families in the Glades communities.
“We’re really humbled,” said Andres Fanjul upon receiving the award, echoing the sentiments of the rest of the Fanjul family. “It’s an incredible opportunity. When I read all the families that have won this award in the past, it’s an honor to be included as part of that group.”
The Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) is among the most productive and sustainable agricultural basins in the world. In addition to providing thousands of jobs for farmers in the Glades region, the Fanjul family has been an integral part of the community for decades through their charitable support, particularly their efforts to improve access to high-quality education and to reduce hunger.
“The Fanjuls’ presence here in the Glades is a blessing to us all,” said Ashley Tripp, Vice President at Tripp Electric Motors, Inc. “They have devoted their lives to excellence and showing us also how we, too, can acquire, through all of the work that they do in this community.”
The Fanjul family founded New Hope Charities, a grassroots nonprofit that provides services for children and families in western Palm Beach County ranging from daycare and health care to food distribution. The Fanjul family also founded two charter schools in Pahokee, Everglades Preparatory Academy and Glades Academy, to increase educational opportunities for families in the Glades.