When the Vera family first immigrated to the United States from Cuba, they decided to start a nursery.

Together, they worked long hours on just two acres to establish their family business: Vera’s Nursery. Fueled by their passion to grow plants, the Veras have continued to grow ever since. 

A passion for plants
“I like the nursery business because you are working with nature,” said Ismel Vera. “You can actually see the change in the plants. You take a seed and grow it into one big palm in a 25-gallon container. Growing plants, that’s my passion.”

Ismel’s strong affinity for growing plants has played a large role in the nursery’s success. “In this business, when you do what you like to do, you see different results in the end. You have to select the business that you are passionate about. Like in my situation, I like the plant business so I’m here in the plant business.” 

Eyes towards growth 
Today, the Veras work across more than 100 acres and grow 50 different types of palms, shrubs, topiaries and hibiscus. However, Ismel doesn’t want to stop there. He said, “I want to try to grow more and get bigger and bigger.”

One key to this growth has been the help of Farm Credit of Florida. Ismel said, “Farm Credit has helped me a lot in this business. We want to grow, and every nursery that wants to grow needs support from one lender. We selected Farm Credit of Florida; Farm Credit is the best lender for our business.”

For Ismel, Farm Credit’s focus on supporting farmers makes all the difference. “Farm Credit: the name says everything. They are a lender that supports farmers so I prefer working with Farm Credit more than any other lender.”