THE BRAND
FLORIDA CRACKER TRADING COMPANY COUNTRY-THEMED HOLIDAY GIFTS (AND FUN!) HOMEGROWN RETAILER
T
Written by: Ava Grace
he holidays are up yonder, and the Florida Cracker Trading Company is gearing up for the season.
The Brooksville retailer has a deep selection of Florida-themed goods that makes perfect gifts. On the giving side, the company this season holds its 3rd annual Florida Cracker Christmas, a concert benefiting Operation HeartF.E.L.T. (Feeding Empty Little Tummies). Florida Cracker Trading Company is a lifestyle brand that encompasses the heritage of the original Floridian. “One
of our main goals is to preserve and teach what a Florida cracker is,” says co-owner Blair Hensley, who started the culinary and retail firm with his brother, Ethan, in 2012. The firm has since opened other outlets and resorts. It has a real estate component, Florida Cracker Properties, and an online business, as well. Brooksville is north of Tampa in Hernando County. Historians insist the term “cracker” originated from the sound made by whips used to drive wild cattle by Florida’s settlers and cowboys. Others claim that it refers to use of cracked corn to make moonshine — either way, the term “Florida
PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF FLORIDA CRACKER TRADING COMPANY
FLORIDA CRACKER TRADING COMPANY IS A LIFESTYLE BRAND THAT ENCOMPASSES THE HERITAGE OF THE ORIGINAL FLORIDIAN
50
F L O R I DAC O U N T RY D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 1 | J a n u a r y 2 0 2 2
