Sue Harrell, Director of Marketing
Sue Harrell, Director of Marketing
When it comes to Florida winter strawberries — Sue Harrell knows a thing or two.
Sue has been marketing director and spokesperson for the Florida Strawberry Growers Association since 2007, and she’s been farming, marketing and promoting Florida-grown strawberries for almost 40 years. Sue is a graduate of the University of Florida’s Leadership Program for Agriculture and Natural Resources.
I’ve been working with Florida strawberries practically all of my life. Some of those years I was a management employee for a major corporation, others as a grower and volunteer for the Florida industry. The growers in Plant City and neighboring Dover, Fla., are truly a family. There are about 100 of us. We pitch in to help one another and work cooperatively to get the word out about our winter strawberries.
Sue’s responsibilities for the FSGA consist of developing a variety of marketing strategies to reach consumers, retailers and foodservice professionals with the message that Florida is the dominant supplier of U.S.-grown strawberries that are harvested in the winter months. She works locally, statewide and nationally to coordinate and implement public relations and promotional programs that boost the overall awareness of Florida’s unique winter strawberries.
Known fondly as “Strawberry Sue,” she enjoys sharing news, preparation tips, recipes and more in her blog featuring Florida strawberries. She also produces a monthly electronic newsletter during the annual harvest that is shared with more than 500 food bloggers throughout the United States. She is often found in the FSGA kitchen or on TV station sets sharing her love of cooking – especially with strawberries.
Sue worked for Driscoll Strawberry Associates Inc. based in Watsonville, Calif., for 12 years as East Coast operations manager. In this position, she ran the East Coast growing and shipping operation of strawberries and blueberries from the Dover, Fla., location.
She is married to Mark Harrell a third-generation strawberry grower, and they reside in Dover/Plant City, Fla. They have one son, Christopher, a daughter-in-law, Candace, and a granddaughter, Stevie.
Sue’s favorite ways to eat strawberries are simply out-of-hand or dipped in chocolate.