IMMOKALEE, FL - When it came to narrowing down the winner of this year’s Best Philanthropic Initiatives award for the 2025 Besties, one company stood out for its year-round efforts to give back. For almost 80 years, Lipman Family Farms has been dedicated to sharing the fruits of its labor with the communities it serves through its three pillars of philanthropy: education, children, and hunger relief.

“My great-grandparents started Lipman as small tomato farmers in Florida in 1948,” Elyse Lipman, Chief Executive Officer, reflects. “Since the beginning, we’ve recognized the importance of community support. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the skilled and dedicated people who come to work for us. The core of Lipman is its people—we see our legacy as supporting the people that work for us, their families, and their communities. It’s always been about planning for not just five or 10 years down the road, but for generations to come.”

As Elyse tells me, the importance of education to Lipman goes back to the beginning and has reflected a personal motivation for Max Lipman, Founder of Lipman Family Farms. Growing up, Max could not read or write, so he always strived for his children to pursue continued education. This led his six sons and sons-in-law to take on the family business as Six L’s, eventually rebranding to today’s Lipman Family Farms.

“Although the name has changed, the dedication to supporting education has continued across the company and its communities,” Elyse shares.

One key pillar in the company’s philanthropic efforts is children.

“We know today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders. And, like growing a tomato and tending our land, children require care and support at their earliest developmental phases,” Elyse adds. “We show our support through various efforts, including our annual Back to School event in August each year. This year will be our 15th year of providing children with backpacks full of school supplies they need to get through their school year. This event has expanded into supplying shoes, bikes, haircuts, and additional food and services free to the community. Now in our 15th year, we will be expanding outside of Florida and providing backpacks to 15 communities we operate in across the United States!”

In 2023, Lipman Family Farms presented a check for $3 million to the RCMA, the single largest one-time private gift made to RCMA in their 47-year history, and the largest donation Lipman has made to any one organization. The gift will support the opening of a new campus named Lipman Family Campus, which will be a charter school and community support center for children and families in Immokalee, Florida. In addition, Lipman donates approximately $40,000 a year toward college scholarships for high school students.

The company has also made a $1 million commitment to help build Immokalee’s Boys and Girls Club facility, serving over 400 children and young adults every day.

Tackling hunger relief, Lipman has been proud to donate tens of thousands of pounds of produce each year to the Brighter Bites organization, having been named their Top Donor Partner of the 2018–2019 school year. With an original goal of donating 75,000 meals, the supplier contributed over 250,000 meals during its 75th anniversary celebration in 2023.

“Our philanthropic work has evolved significantly over the last five years,” adds Maria Munguia, Community Relations Manager. “When we launched our community champion program in 2020, we were able to reach communities beyond Immokalee from the perspective of our employees who live and work across the country. This has expanded our reach and has allowed us to give in a very intentional way through the lens of our employees.”

Every November, Lipman Family Farms hosts a companywide Day of Good, a day its employees dedicate to giving back to their communities. Each location determines its charity of choice and provides essential services to those in need, such as renovating local shelters, passing out Thanksgiving meals, and hosting health fairs, ensuring that each effort is responsive to local needs and opportunities for impact. Last year, over 1,000 volunteers across the country participated in the Day of Good.

A heartfelt thank you to our Besties Committee for their time, dedication, and insight. Each year, our team compiles the Besties ballot with nominations across all award categories, and our committee votes to determine the winners. This year, the committee voted on every category except Snack Storyteller, Retailer of the Year, Best Marketer to Work With, and the Lifetime Achievement Award—three honors selected by our leadership team due to their special significance.

Congratulations to Lipman Family Farms on this well-deserved Besties Award and the continuous impact it remains dedicated to making across its communities!