Tierra Verde, Fla. – On the islands of Tierra Verde, small business is king. Just ask Rick Bryant, who literally grew his produce business from the ground up there.

“Well, living in Terre Verde, if you want anything, you have to drive across the bridge to go get it,” Bryant said. “So we wanted to do something that could offer not only things for the restaurants here, but also for everyone in the community, and produce is always something that we need to have.”

That idea planted the seed 12 years ago that became Island Produce. It's a store about as big as a walk-in closet, but customer say once you enter, you step foot into another world. 

“It’s just the freshness of the produce," customer Anita Zorzitto told Spectrum News. “It's just the freshness of the produce. I mean, it smells clean. It smells fresh, but his spirit and is soul and obviously you see, he cuts amazing fruit.” As a family-educated and experienced restaurant owner, Bryant says he uses local farmer's produce, keeping the selection simple and smart. 

“We try to keep the prices the same as in line with the stores. I can’t compete with the specials they run, but there’s no need to do that," Bryant said.

For the less than 3,500 residents who live in Tierra Verde, they show appreciation for this small business every week of the year, including National Small Business Week. So Rick feels confident that Island Produce has securely cornered the market there.

“Anything could happen but, luckily out here, there’s no more land left to build anything,” Bryant replied, when asked if he was worried that competitors would try to beat him. 

Island Produce is open 10 a.m. to 6  p.m. Monday through Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.