Lykes Bros in Florida: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Lykes Bros is a Tampa-based family company whose roots reach back to the 1870s, when Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes left medicine to run the family's 500-acre farm in Hernando County growing citrus and ranching cattle. Formed as Lykes Brothers, Inc. in 1910 by seven sons and reincorporated as Lykes Bros. Inc. in 1949, it is one of Florida's oldest agricultural family enterprises.
| Location | Corporate office in Tampa, Florida |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1910 as Lykes Brothers, Inc.; family farming and cattle from the 1870s |
| Sectors | Cattle, citrus and agribusiness |
| Scale | Current acreage not stated on the company history page; originally a 500-acre farm |
| Why it is elite | Multi-generation Florida agribusiness; Lykes Pasco was once Florida's largest fruit processing plant |
| Ownership | Lykes family company |
| Official website | Lykes Bros. Inc. official site |
History of Lykes Bros
In the 1870s Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes left medicine to run his family's 500-acre farm in Hernando County, growing citrus and raising cattle, including cattle exported to Cuba. In 1895 he moved the family to Tampa. In 1900 his sons Frederick and Howell opened a Cuba office to receive cattle shipments, and in 1903 James McKay Lykes opened a Galveston office and began shipping Texas cattle.
The shipping operation began carrying general freight in 1906, Lykes Meat Group was founded in 1913, and the seven sons formed Lykes Brothers, Inc. in 1910. The company logo, a 7 and an L, represents them. The company reincorporated as Lykes Bros. Inc. in 1949, and in the 1950s Lykes Pasco Packing became a major Florida citrus processor, a leader in frozen concentrated orange juice and once the state's largest fruit processing plant. Its Cuban ranches, over 16,000 acres and about 2,000 head, were seized in the Cuban Revolution.
What Lykes Bros Grows and Raises
The company's own history traces cattle and citrus as the founding agricultural businesses, followed by shipping, meat, insurance and gas interests. Lykes Insurance, founded in 1925, was sold in 2019, and the family-owned Peoples Gas was sold to TECO Energy in 1997.
Current operations are described on the company's website, which also links to its Silver Lake Preserve. This profile relies on the company's published history, so readers should check the company site for present-day acreage and herd size.
How Lykes Bros Makes Money
Cattle
Cattle ranching and cattle export were the original business, from Hernando County to Cuba and Texas.
Citrus and processing
Citrus growing began on the original farm, and Lykes Pasco Packing built it into large-scale processing and frozen concentrate.
Diversified holdings
Over time the family built shipping, meat, insurance and gas businesses, and sold some of them, showing how agricultural wealth can be redeployed.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Lykes Bros
The first lesson is that a family can scale by following its product to market. The Lykes family moved from raising cattle to shipping and processing them.
Second, sell assets when the time is right. The company sold its insurance and gas interests. Third, political and trade risk, as with the seizure of the Cuban ranches, argues for geographic diversification.
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How to Contact Lykes Bros
Website: https://www.lykes.com
Address: 400 N. Ashley Drive, Suite 2500, Tampa, FL 33602
Phone: 813-470-5000
Contact details as published on the company's own website, November 2026. Confirm before visiting.
Lykes Bros Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Lykes Bros. Inc. official site - The company's own website
- Lykes history - Company timeline from the 1870s
- Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes - Florida history blog on the founder
- Lykes Brothers on Wikipedia - Encyclopedia overview
- FDACS summary of the 2022 Census of Agriculture - Florida cattle and citrus statistics
Lykes Bros FAQ
Where is Lykes Bros headquartered?
In Tampa, Florida.
When was it formed?
Lykes Brothers, Inc. was formed in 1910 by seven sons, with family farming roots in the 1870s.
What did it start with?
A 500-acre family farm in Hernando County growing citrus and raising cattle.
What was Lykes Pasco?
A citrus processor that became a leader in frozen concentrated orange juice.
Lykes Bros shows how a Florida farming family grew into a diversified enterprise over more than a century. Read the Florida farms guide for the state's current agriculture picture and the other profiles alongside Lykes Bros.