Nicole Ferrera didn't set out to run a produce market. She's a 2023 University of South Florida graduate with a health sciences degree. But when your family's roots run this deep into Ruskin's farming history, it turns out the produce business finds you anyway.
A Family Operation
Ruskin Fresh Market is a true family business. Nicole's father, David, started the operation years ago after a career as a tomato farmer himself — he still owns Florida Vine Ripe Farm Inc., the wholesale tomato operation the family grew up around. Ruskin Fresh Market actually operates out of the west end of that same warehouse, bringing the family's wholesale roots right to the retail counter. Today, Nicole and her brother, David Jr., run the market alongside their father — Nicole managing the retail store and the market's entire social media presence, her father and brother handling the farm's packing and shipping operations that send produce out across the country.
Beyond the fresh produce, the market carries microgreens, local honey, milk, eggs, and meat, along with Amish goods — and yes, they're bilingual: "Sí hablamos Español."
"We don't really use a website," Nicole said. "It's all social media." Between Facebook, Instagram, and local papers, that's how the market reaches customers and promotes its monthly open-house events — food trucks, vendors, and a community gathering in the market's warehouse that Nicole describes with real pride.
Ruskin’s Tomato Roots
Talk to Nicole for more than a few minutes and you start to understand how much history is under her feet. Ruskin was once known as the tomato capital of the world — home to some of the largest tomato-growing and packing operations in the state. The Diehl family's Tomatoes of Ruskin, founded in 1972, is still run by the same family today, and Lennard Farms — still operating as a u-pick tomato and squash farm — is another name that's carried through generations, among what used to be dozens of local growers and packing houses.
Much of that farmland tells a similar story: sold off over the decades to development. One of the most striking transformations sits on land once used for vegetable packing — a site connected to the Dickman family, early pioneers of Ruskin's tomato cooperative movement — which is now home to a large medical cannabis operation.
Nicole also pointed out something a lot of newer residents don't realize: Apollo Beach was once considered part of Ruskin. Over the years, growth split the two apart, even though their histories are deeply intertwined. For anyone curious to dig deeper, she mentioned Hillsborough Community College's South Shore campus holds archives on the area's agricultural past.
Beyond the Market
At 25, Nicole is building her own chapter of the family story — and she clearly has energy to spare. She's been riding horses since she was 4 years old, competing nationally all the way through college, and she still rides competitively today. "It keeps me in shape and sane," she said.
Her passion isn't limited to the saddle, though. Nicole cares deeply about Ruskin's history — it's been her family's life for generations — and when the conversation turned to digging deeper into that history for a future Compass feature, she lit up at the idea. She's already proven to be a wealth of knowledge about the area, and this is likely just the first of many conversations.
For now, her focus is the market: keeping the retail side running, keeping the community engaged online, and keeping her family's decades-long connection to Ruskin's produce business alive for the next generation.
Ruskin Fresh Market is located at 2619 14th Ave SE, Ruskin, FL 33570. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closed Mondays). Follow them on Facebook for weekly deals and upcoming open-house events.
Watching Big Bend Road: Is a Costco Coming to Apollo Beach ?
Rumors of a Costco landing somewhere in South Hillsborough have floated around for years — but they picked up new life once Walmart opened nearby. For a lot of residents, Walmart felt like the ceiling. In reality, it may have just opened the door.
Plans have surfaced for a nearly 169,000-square-foot Costco warehouse and fuel station on about 17 acres near Big Bend Road and Covington Garden Drive. And it's not just Costco — the site is part of a larger proposed mixed-use development that's been rumored to include additional big-box anchors and hundreds of new residential units.
Nothing is finalized. Plans like this can take years to move through approvals, and rumors have circled this same stretch of road before without breaking ground. But given how quickly this corridor has already changed — new housing, a new Walmart, and steady growth on roads that are still, in a lot of places, two-lane highways feeding into Big Bend, 301, and I-75 — it's worth keeping an eye on. We'll keep watching this one and let you know as it develops.
Two Floridas: A Thread We’re Watching
If you've been reading the Compass for a while, you may have noticed something. Wolfe's Produce Market. Riverview Fresh Market. Ruskin Fresh Market. And now, rumors of a Costco anchoring a massive new development on Big Bend Road.
These aren't separate stories. They're chapters of the same one.
This corridor — 301, Big Bend, the roads connecting Riverview to Ruskin to Apollo Beach — used to be defined by families growing tomatoes, watermelons, and citrus. Some of those families are still here, still doing the work, a few miles from warehouses and rooftops that didn't exist a decade ago.
We're not here to tell you growth is good or bad. That's not our job, and honestly, it's more complicated than any one opinion could capture. But we do think it's worth watching — and worth telling honestly, as it happens, through the people actually living it.
So consider this an open thread. "Two Floridas" isn't a one-time feature — it's a lens we'll keep coming back to, issue after issue, as this corridor keeps changing. If you've got a story, a memory, or something you're watching too, we'd love to hear it.
Coming Next Issue
We're also working on the next "Riverview Neighbors" feature — a closer look at Shannon Godek of Basic Dough, one of the many folks who live right here but build something special beyond our town line. Stay tuned!
AI for Everyday Life: Turning Fresh Produce into Dinner
Ever come home from Wolfe's or Ruskin Fresh Market with a bag full of whatever looked good, and then stared at it wondering what to actually make? Here's a simple trick.
Open any AI chat tool (ChatGPT, Claude, or similar) and just type what you bought — something like: "I have tomatoes, okra, and yellow squash. What's a simple dinner I can make tonight?" Within seconds, you'll get a few real recipe ideas using exactly what's already in your kitchen, no wasted produce, no extra grocery trip. It's a small thing, but it turns "I don't know what to make" into dinner in under a minute — and it's a great way to actually use up those seasonal finds before they go bad.
Community Events
Sun, July 12 — Stick & Ditty
Finn's Dockside, Apollo Beach. 5 p.m.
Sun, July 19 — Apollo Beach Market by Pour Intentions
Apollo Beach Recreation Park. 9 a.m. onward.
Ongoing — Ruskin Branch Library
Book sales and community programs continue throughout the month. Check the branch calendar for exact dates.
Ongoing — Firehouse Cultural Center, Ruskin
Rotating classes and community events. Worth a follow if you like local arts and workshops.
Wisdom for this Issue
"In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future." — Alex Haley