For 50 years, Four Seasons Produce has built its business around a simple but powerful principle — trust.

That philosophy helped transform a small wholesale produce operation in rural Pennsylvania into one of the Mid-Atlantic’s leading fresh produce distributors, serving independent retailers, regional supermarket chains, natural food stores and co-ops throughout the Northeast.

Now, as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026, Four Seasons is reflecting on the relationships, values and entrepreneurial spirit that have defined its journey through a yearlong initiative titled Deep Roots, Fresh Future.

The campaign highlights the people, partnerships and milestones that have shaped the company since its founding in 1976 while looking ahead to the next generation of leadership and growth.

A business built on faith, family and purpose

The roots of Four Seasons Produce reach back even further than the company’s founding.

In 1952, Warren and Mary Hollinger made a decision that would alter the course of their family’s future. Choosing to move away from tobacco production, they established a roadside produce stand that eventually grew into Hollinger’s Farm Market, a fixture in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Like many family businesses, everyone pitched in. The experience taught the Hollinger children the value of hard work, entrepreneurship and faith. Among them was David Hollinger, who quickly discovered a passion for growing and marketing produce. As a boy, his first business venture involved raising scallions and selling them for five cents a bunch. Later he expanded into Indian corn and gourds, learning firsthand the importance of merchandising, customer service and creating value.

During his teenage years, Hollinger worked in the produce department of the family market while attending Lancaster Mennonite School. Strongly influenced by his faith, he initially believed his future would be centered on Christian service rather than business.

After marrying, David and Debbie Hollinger pursued that calling together, spending two years in Mississippi assisting disadvantaged vegetable farmers through a cooperative supported by the Agri Business Men’s Association. The experience deepened their commitment to serving others and shaped the values that would later define Four Seasons Produce.

When they returned to Pennsylvania, Hollinger resumed work at the family market while expanding its wholesale produce business. At the time, he viewed entrepreneurship as a means to support a greater purpose.

“I was thinking that perhaps we could own this business for several years and then sell it to finance our personal engagement in missions,” Hollinger later recalled.

Instead, the business itself became a platform for service.

In June 1976, Four Seasons Produce was launched from a small warehouse behind Denver National Bank as a partnership involving David and Warren Hollinger and Ed Martin. The early years were challenging, and growth came gradually. But Hollinger remained convinced that a company built on integrity, strong relationships and a commitment to helping others could succeed.

“In reflection upon our story at Four Seasons, it is most evident that trust is basic to relationships and our endeavors,” Hollinger said during his acceptance speech upon being inducted into the High Center Family Business Hall of Fame in 2023.

That belief would ultimately become the foundation upon which the company was built.

Building trust, one relationship at a time

In the produce industry, transactions move quickly and products are highly perishable. Success often depends on the confidence growers, distributors and retailers place in one another.

“Historically, a handshake and a verbal agreement has moved railcars and truckloads of fresh fruits and vegetables from growers to wholesalers to retailers,” Hollinger said.

For Four Seasons, earning and maintaining that trust became a defining characteristic of its culture.

While David focused on customers and growth, Debbie Hollinger helped establish the initial computer software systems and processes that allowed the company to scale while maintaining consistency and reliability.

From the beginning, Hollinger focused on hiring people for their character and values as much as their skills. He encouraged employees to take ownership of their responsibilities, empowered them to develop their talents and fostered a team-oriented culture in which everyone’s role was to help others succeed.

“I didn’t worry about the competition,” Hollinger said. “I worried about taking care of our customers.”

The company also embraced what became a guiding principle: treating employees, customers and suppliers according to the Golden Rule. Those values helped create lasting relationships that remain central to the organization’s success today.

Throughout its growth, company leadership remained focused on principles rather than short-term gains.

“Doing the right thing, even to our disadvantage at times, establishes trust,” Hollinger said. “Maintaining high ethical standards cultivates respect among peers in our industry.”

Growing with the changing fresh marketplace

As consumer demand evolved, Four Seasons evolved alongside it.

The company began building its organic produce program in the early 1990s and today approximately half of its business involves organics. Four Seasons also expanded beyond traditional produce offerings through its Fresh Categories program, which provides natural and organic meats, eggs, dairy, deli and prepared foods to retail customers throughout its distribution network.

Today, the company focuses on serving natural food stores, food co-ops, independent retailers and supermarket chains throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with customers extending from Washington, DC, to New York City and beyond, including markets in Maine, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Bermuda.

To further support growers, suppliers and retailers, Four Seasons established three complementary companies in 2006.

Earth Source focuses on imports and grower representation, particularly for organic and Fair Trade-certified produce. Sunrise Transport operates a modern fleet of more than 120 trucks providing reliable transportation services. Sunrise Logistics delivers cold storage, inventory management, refrigerated transportation, avocado ripening and other supply-chain solutions.

Most recently, Sunrise Logistics added high-pressure processing services, further strengthening the organization’s mission of Helping Others Succeed in Fresh.

The company’s commitment to long-term stewardship extends beyond the supply chain as well. Four Seasons has earned recognition for sustainability initiatives throughout its operations, including becoming the first refrigerated warehouse in the nation to earn the ENERGY STAR label and receiving the Green Plus Sustainable Enterprise Award.

A culture of leadership

One of the defining chapters in the Four Seasons story has been its commitment to leadership development and succession.

Hollinger frequently credits the company’s success not only to family leadership but also to the contributions of employees, customers, suppliers and trusted advisors.