Jubilee Orchards, a Northeast Tallahassee farm that invited the public to experience farm life for 15 years, is closing.
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Owner Lawton "Bud" Chiles says increased competition from international growers made it hard to stay profitable.
In 2025, the USDA reported roughly two-thirds of all fresh blueberries sold in the U.S. came from other countries, including Peru, Mexico, and Chile.
Chiles said the farm had already scaled back its commercial operations in recent years.
"We basically have been out of the commercial market for the last six or seven years," Chiles said. “So even all of this, you know, 30 acres here has basically, the last several years, we basically stopped cultivating a lot of it, because they, you know, just couldn't sell it.”
As the harvest season wraps up, Chiles is reflecting on a legacy that started with his father, former Florida Governor Lawton Chiles.
“We've just really enjoyed that aspect of seeing people come out and enjoy the land, and get into nature and realize, you know, hey, nature is not that scary…so that’s been a big part of our goal is, my dad taught me sort of… when we were kids, that, you know, God created nature, and we need to respect it, and we need to be good stewards of it,” he said.
Leon County Commissioner Rick Minor, whose family made trips to Jubilee a tradition, shared his thoughts on the closure.
"We're going to miss Jubilee Orchards, but I'm very thankful to Bud Chiles and his family for giving us some great family memories," Minor said.
Minor said the community can take a lesson from the farm's closure.
"One thing we can learn from this is that we need to buy from our local growers. We need to support Florida's farmers," Minor said.
While Jubilee is closing its blueberry harvesting operations, visitors can still book a stay at the cabins on the property.
As for what comes next, Chiles said his wife will make that call.
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