History

David Hollinger, Founder of Four Seasons Produce, shared his father’s love of growing vegetables and sold his first garden crop at his parents’ farmers market when he was just eight years old. David’s interest in fresh produce grew as he traveled with his father to the Philadelphia Produce Market, regional auctions, and orchards to buy produce for the farmers market back in Lancaster County, PA.

At the Hollinger Farm Market, David saw firsthand that customers come back when they feel respected. They remember who treated them fairly and who kept their word. Those early lessons shaped how David thought about work, not as a transaction, but as a responsibility to customers, suppliers, and teammates alike.

As a young married couple, David and Debbie desired to volunteer for two years in rural Mississippi, supporting a farmer’s vegetable cooperative. That experience helped shape his leadership. It strengthened the belief that work should mean something, and that success carries responsibility beyond personal gain.

After returning home, David resumed work at the farmers market for two years, buying produce, managing the retail produce department, and expanding local wholesale produce delivery routes.

In June of 1976, Four Seasons Produce was founded as a produce wholesale distributor, separate from Hollinger’s farm market, when a local bank recognized the Hollinger family’s integrity and provided the financing. Four Seasons purchased a 5,000 square foot building in Denver, PA, with a small team doing whatever the day required, serving restaurants, farmers markets, and grocery stores.

Debbie was foundational in those early years. While David carried out the vision and led daily operations, Debbie helped build the systems and discipline that make a business reliable as it grows. As the company’s first IT and systems leader, Debbie helped establish the structure that turned a good idea into a dependable operation.

Over the decades, Four Seasons Produce grew and evolved.  David brought in non-family leaders to help take the business to the next levels while staying true to its principles.  His entrepreneurial spirit led to new ventures and related businesses.  Some thrived.  Others failed.  But the growth continued.