Harvest Collective Helping Area Farmers Connect With Consumers
by MAGGIE THARP
There’s a new business that’s making it easier than ever for residents to support farms, ranches, and other local businesses.
Founded by Lakeland native Mikaela Booth in late 2024, The Harvest Collective works with farmers and other local producers to get their products to customers in the Lakeland and Polk County area.
“My goal with The Harvest Collective is to bridge the gap between our community and our farmers in getting good food on the table,” Booth says. “It seems like there’s a disconnect with where the consumer can get all of these products.”
The Harvest Collective website allows customers to shop from an array of products that include produce, beef, pork, honey, eggs, bread, and other items. Booth is currently focusing on one-off orders available for pickup or by delivery, but she has plans to expand her community-supported agriculture program and look into subscription boxes.
Though the business is still in its early stages, Booth says that people are responding well to the concept. Her current focus is serving her core customer base and making sure that she’s staying connected to the needs of farmers and producers and helping them solve problems such as how to connect to more customers and reduce waste by selling any surplus crops or products. Booth’s dedication to helping the local agricultural community and understanding and solving their pain points is a hallmark of her business.
“Growing up, our family specifically was never in the agriculture realm, but everyone else around us was,” she says. “I always felt like there was a place somewhere for me. I really wanted to be there to help in whatever way I could.”
Even before the business launched, Booth made it a priority to align with the needs of the local agricultural community. Kenny Raney Jr. with Pine Lake Beef Company, a partner of The Harvest Collective, was a source of advice and information months before the business opened.
“Mr. Raney has been so supportive in all of this. I don’t think there has ever been a question from him if I was going to succeed. If he didn’t have answers he would find out quick,” Booth shares. “It’s nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of with a similar mindset as you.”
Kateland Raney, daughter of Kenny Raney and co-owner of Pine Lake Beef Company, is equally enthusiastic about Booth’s business and appreciates the benefits it provides in terms of an expanded customer base as well as the larger service it offers to the community.
“She really has taken that approach of providing local to local people, and it’s needed,” Raney states. “So many people move here every day and they believe that the produce just comes from the grocery store and don’t realize that they could buy it directly from the farm or from the ranch if they knew about it.”
Other partners share their positive experiences with Harvest Collective. Meagan Balogh, farm manager of From The Ground Up Farms, a bio regenerative operation in Dade City, says The Harvest Collective’s service is a perfect fit for their new business. In addition to helping them get the word out about what they do, The Harvest Collective can accommodate their high-quality but relatively small produce amounts as well as any unique crops they grow. Booth’s genuine appreciation and respect for local farmers is also not lost on Balogh.
“She sees our value, and she’s willing to pay for it. And in turn, we’re going to do the same for her. We’re going to be like, ‘You know what, you’re buying a lot of produce, we’ll throw this in also,’ ” Balogh says. “We want this to succeed. We want each other to succeed.”
The Harvest Collective might still be new, but Booth is already making plans for its future. Starting April 6, she’ll be holding a farmer’s market—the Heritage Harvest Farmer’s Market—on the first Sunday of every month at the Kathleen Area Historical Society Heritage Park, 8950 North Campbell Road in Lakeland. The market will provide farmers another outlet to sell products and cater specifically to residents on the north side of Lakeland.
Booth’s other potential ideas for the future of the business include opening a brick-and-mortar location for pickups, partnering with schools and restaurants, and ultimately merging Harvest Collective with her other business — Evelyn & Co., a zero-waste lifestyle store.
However the business evolves, Booth is sure to have the support of local producers and farmers because of the strong relationships she’s forged.
“Mikaela and I and my dad, we’ve been doing business for a few years together now, and she is just a wonderful person in general. We are on board to help her get this going however we can,” Kateland Raney shares. “We know that this can be a success not just because of what it is but because of what she can make it into. She’s that kind of go-getter person with the vision to provide the products to the consumers that we need.”
Central Florida agricultural providers interested in partnering with The Harvest Collective can reach out to Booth at theharvestcolkld@gmail.com.
