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Alfie Oakes

Alfie Oakes is an American farmer, businessman and politician. Born in Delaware City, Delaware and raised in Fort Myers, Florida, he is the founder of Oakes Farms, one of the largest independently owned agribusiness operations in South Florida. Headquartered in Collier County, Florida, Oakes Farms maintains a diversified portfolio of services that reach a global market, including farming, packing, shipping, processing, retail markets, food service, and seafood distribution.

A born entrepreneur, Alfie grew the family business from the ground up. Inspired by his father and grandfather before him, Alfie learned the value of fierce determination, unwavering perseverance and strong relationships while working at his family’s small produce stand as a boy. The seeds of hard work and calculated risk taking were planted early, allowing Oakes to flourish despite the many hardships and challenges he faced growing up. Coming from humble beginnings, Oakes turned his obstacles into opportunities. At age 15, Oakes began selling tomatoes and watermelons from the back of a pickup truck at the Cape Coral bridge. He opened his first market at age 18 and became a first-generation farmer when he leased 40 acres to grow zucchini. By the time he graduated high school, Oakes was brokering wholesale deals and harvesting his own crops.