Local Growers
Fresh fruits and vegetables have a personal and distinctive place of origin.
Independent & small scale family farms contribute to our regional abundance and landscape with a wide variety of fresh, peak of season produce.
Check out some of our notable farmer profiles to see who’s growing your food.
A.V. Thomas Produce
A.V. Thomas Produce is one of America’s leading suppliers of fresh conventional and certified organic sweet potatoes and yams in the United States. The company was founded by Antonio Vieira Tomas, who immigrated to the United States from the Azores Island of Pico in Portugal in 1920 and settled in Livingston, California.
Livingston is one of the special places in the country with the warm climate and light, sandy soil necessary to grow sweet potatoes, and Mr. Tomas began growing them here in 1960. (Today more than 90 percent of California’s sweet potato crop is grown right in this area.) Mr. Tomas founded A.V. Thomas Produce with 10 acres in production and one small packing shed in downtown Livingston.
Twelve years later, his nephew, Manuel Eduardo Vieira, joined the business. Also from the Island of Pico in the Azores, Mr. Vieira had just spent 10 years in Rio de Janeiro, earning a degree in Business Administration. He would spend the next five years learning the sweet potato trade at his uncle’s side.
In 1977, Manuel E. Vieira bought A.V. Thomas Produce and began a new chapter in its history, investing in, growing and expanding the business into the industry leader it is today.
Livingston is one of the special places in the country with the warm climate and light, sandy soil necessary to grow sweet potatoes, and Mr. Tomas began growing them here in 1960. (Today more than 90 percent of California’s sweet potato crop is grown right in this area.) Mr. Tomas founded A.V. Thomas Produce with 10 acres in production and one small packing shed in downtown Livingston.
Twelve years later, his nephew, Manuel Eduardo Vieira, joined the business. Also from the Island of Pico in the Azores, Mr. Vieira had just spent 10 years in Rio de Janeiro, earning a degree in Business Administration. He would spend the next five years learning the sweet potato trade at his uncle’s side.
In 1977, Manuel E. Vieira bought A.V. Thomas Produce and began a new chapter in its history, investing in, growing and expanding the business into the industry leader it is today.
Abe-El Produce
The legacy and tremendous contribution of Japanese American farmers is brilliantly recognized in a number of California families, one of which is Abe-El Produce.
Abe-El Produce is a successful full service farming, packing, shipping, cold storage and produce sales operation. Abe-El Produce grows numerous citrus varieties, table grapes and vegetables featuring zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant.
Brothers Franklin and Herbert Abe are joined by the third generation (sansei) of educated, creative and professional family members. The farming traditions and sacrifices made by Issei (Japanese-born) and Nisei (American-born) are honored in this vital family business.
Adobe Creek Orchards
Ken Barr made the decision to buy his own packing shed in 1989. He wanted to have better control over the growing, packing and shipping of his Lake County pears. He left the comfort zone of a grower cooperative and took on the responsibility of packing and shipping his pears.
A small shed owned by the Kelseyville Packing Company was purchased and Adobe Creek Orchards was born. Ken felt that by planting the orchards, raising the trees, taking care of the fruit, picking the fruit and then having control of the packing and shipping put him in a very special and unique position. He was and still is one of the very few who can lay claim to this farming accomplishment.
In 1990, Ken joined forces with his brother, John Barr and business partner, Broc Zoller and formed Adobe Creek Packing Co., Inc. They each came to the business with their own special talents. Ken controlled the orchards, John had the mechanical knowledge of running packing sheds, and Broc, (The Pear Doctor) is trained as a plant pathologist & pest control advisor. John Barr passed away in 1996 and Broc retired in 2007; Ken continues to grow, plant, harvest, pack and ship the best of Lake County pears. This includes Bartlett, Star Crimson, Rosi Red, Bosc and Golden Russet Bosc. Enjoy seasonal pears from Adobe Creek!
Andy Boy
Andy Boy has a rich history as an industry trend-setter, not a follower. From the day the company was founded by Stephen and Andrew D’Arrigo, two immigrants from Messina, Sicily, innovation has been its hallmark. Andy Boy customers can confidently look to them for excellence in everything they do, from seed research and development to entirely new approaches to packaging, packing, and even shipping.
With third generation D’Arrigo family members at the helm of their West Coast operations, the traditions of being the very best in the business emanate from the top and are carried out by their dedicated family of almost 2000 employees.
Andy “Andy Boy” D’Arrigo is 92 years old and has retired but remains active by coming into the office from time to time. John D’Arrigo serves as President/CEO and Chairman of the Board for D’Arrigo Bros. Co., of CA.
Andy Boy Broccoli, Broccoli Rabe, Cauliflower, Fennel, Romaine Hearts, Cactus Pears and Nopalitos are the company’s mainstays, but Andy Boy is also able to provide a full scope of produce needs and consolidation opportunities with an extraordinary level of service.
Bagdasarian
Richard Bagdasarian Inc., was incorporated in 1952 and is located in the heart of the Coachella Valley’s agricultural growing community. They are a family owned and operated grower, shipper and marketer of California table grapes, citrus and vegetables.
As one of the larger growers of California table grapes and citrus in the Coachella Valley, Richard Bagdasarian Inc. is respected worldwide and has naturally established a national presence in the vegetable industry via Pasha Marketing, LLC. They apply the highest standards of production to every vine, tree, and plant they grow.
Committed to giving you the best tasting, highest quality table grapes, they grow, harvest, ship and market 12 different varieties of table grapes..
Enjoy local California table Grapes today!
Baker Ranch
Chuck Baker is a 5th generation family farmer who grows luscious California pears in the Sacramento River Delta region (Sutter Island). The Baker family has been farming on 700 acres of prime pear orchards (from Courtland to Ryde) since the early 1860s – the original land grant deed is dated 1854 (Hustler Ranch and Hustler pear label).
Many of the existing old growth trees are at least 140 years old and still producing some of the best eating fruit grown in the state. California Bartlett pears are the main crop for Baker Ranch with cherries and pear varietals like Bosc, Star Crimson, Seckels and Forelles balancing out the harvest.
In addition to overseeing his family farm, Chuck Baker also oversees many of the pear orchards that grow for AllState Packers, a premier fruit packer and shipper in Lodi. You know their fruit under the labels Rivermaid, McCormack, Golden Glow, Party and Hillside. Stewardship of the land and time honored growing practices by Chuck Baker and family are apparent in the wonderful fruit they lovingly produce!
Baloian Farms
The Baloian Family is a 4th generation farming family that has been in the produce business since 1917. Charles Baloian started the company’s first enterprise: Charles Baloian Company, Inc. in Fresno, California which was a full-service produce business. Charles’ two sons, James and Edward, returned to Fresno in 1945, after serving their country in the World War II, joining Charles as partners.
In 1965, Charles and his sons formed Pam Pak Distributors, Inc., which is Baloian Packing’s current #1 label, to package and market fresh vegetables from a large number of local growers who supplied Charles Baloian Company, Inc. In an effort to increase their annual business and to supply the rising local demand for their product, Pam Pak Distributors, Inc. began its own farming operations in 1968.
Today, they grow variety peppers, variety lettuces, variety squash, red onions and variety vegetables (turnips, beets, rutabagas, cucumbers, green beans, spinach, yams and more). Their fresh products can be found in both Pam Pak and Baloian Farms packaging.
Barsotti Family Juice
Freshly presssed juices are the Barsotti family’s passion! All juices are handcrafted in small batches at the family’s solar-powered Apple Hill Ranch, surrounded by orchards and pines in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Northern California. Their team is committed to pressing only the best fruits and vegetables in creating their tempting variety of juices, lemonades, and blends, each flash pasteurized with NO preservatives.
They freshly press top quality juice all year long at their production facility that rivals many small producers of freshly pressed juice. They’ve replaced the flatbed trucks loaded with cases of juice and piles of ice with refrigerated semi-trucks and vans. Barsotti juices are also flash pasteuized to ensure your safety.
Look for their trucks transporting juice to your local supermarkets and food establishments throughout Northern California.
“We hope you enjoy our juices and we guarantee that the quality is the best!” –Gael & Joan Barsotti
Blossom Hill Orchards
Blossom Hill Orchards has been family owned for over 90 years, with over 35 years growing and shipping apricots.
In 1917, Louis Lucich started growing apricots and prunes in the Santa Clara Valley. In 1959, his son moved the family to Patterson where they continue their business today. Today, the third generation keeps the family tradition growing.
In an ever changing market, the team at Blossom Hill has adapted and grown to meet the needs of their customers, with over 1000 acres of apricots, 200 of which are now organic. Although apricots are a very sensitive fruit, the team at Blossom Hill strives to grow, pack, and ship apricots so that customers will find them sweet and juicy.
They also make food safety an integral part of their operation. Their produce is delicious as well as safe and pathogen free. Blossom Hill Orchards has implemented a first-class Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked food safety program and is working towards further certifications.
Bolthouse Farms
Bolthouse Farms is a 4th generation family farm, located in California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley. The Bolthouse family started commercial vegetable farming in western Michigan. They continually improved vegetable varietis and made advances from field packing celery to storing onions for off-season supply. The vegetables grown on the family farm were sold to local canneries, including companies like Gerber Products, The Campbell Soup Company, and H.J. Heinz.
By 1950, Bolthouse Farms was a leading supplier of carrots to Midwest processors. In 1990, William J. Bolthouse introduced Shortcuts, carrots that were cut, peeled and ready-to-eat. Demand soared and additional plants were added. The company added juices and juice mixtures to its lineup after demand by Japan. Additionally, Bolthouse packs organically grown carrots under the Earthbound Farm label.
In 2015, they developed a line of cold-pressed & organic juices called 1915. 1915 products are made only with high-pressure processing which helps preserve the nutrients of the juice. The name 1915 is a nod back to simpler times, proving that the Bolthouse Farms tradition continues today along with innovation, freshness, health, convenience, and value.
Booth Ranches
Booth Ranches, LLC is a family owned, fully integrated grower, packer and shipper of premium fresh citrus. They have been growing citrus for more than 50 years in the San Joaquin valley, and packing at two packinghouses near the headquarters in Orange Cove, California.
The late Otis Booth was a business executive when he inherited a 40-acre citrus grove in 1950. According to Loren Booth, Otis Booth’s daughter and current owner of the citrus company, that original grove is known simply as Ranch 40. Today, Ranch 40 is a small slice of the 8,500 acres of Booth Ranch navels, valencias and specialty citrus in the San Joaquin Valley from Fresno County south into Kern County.
As his investments skyrocketed Otis Booth’s wealth into the Forbes 400, oranges became a passion. “Land and a growing business and farming on the land is something rather more tangible than a securities portfolio,” Booth told Forbes magazine in 2005.
As some growers switched to other commodities, Booth remained committed to citrus, though he did add a cattle ranch in 1971. Adding acreage and marketing fruit grown only by the company helped make it a truly independent grower-shipper.
Cal-Organic Farms
In 1968, when Bob and Rod Grimm set up their first roadside produce stand, the brothers made a promise to always take care of the customers. More than 3 decades later, they are still honoring that promise. That has never been more evident than with Grimmway Farms’ organic division Cal-Organic.
Starting with a quarter acre of lettuce in 1983, and an idea of doing things differently, they have taken the business to include 60 different year-round vegetable items. Today the business has grown to thousands of certified organic acres. It still remains family owned and operated, while promoting family values and integrity every day.
Working hard to provide personal service and finding solutions for produce needs, Cal-O is constantly advancing the technology of organic agriculture to the highest levels. As one of the only farms in California’s southern San Joaquin Valley to convert to organic agriculture, they are very proud of their rich farming heritage.
California Endive Farms
Belgian Endive took the world by storm when it was introduced in Paris in 1872. It quickly became so popular that it was nicknamed “white gold”.
About a century later, a young American named Richard Collins, focused on becoming a specialty farmer, made his own discovery of endive while working in the kitchen at a California /French eatery called Restaurant La Salle. The owner, preparing braised endives, told the wide-eyed youth that he should consider growing endives as he had just paid four dollars a pound for them! Fascinated by the prospect of producing this elegant vegetable, Rich bought some seeds and planted them in the family vegetable garden.
By 1983, Rich had begun commercial production of locally grown endive in Vacaville, launching Rebel Farms and a new tradition, rich in history of this elegant vegetable. Rebel Farms was later renamed California Endive Farms and it remains the largest American producer.
A leading innovator in refining the complex process of growing the highest quality California endive (both red and white), California Endive Farms is dedicated to consistent production of the highest quality endive in the marketplace.
Chase National Kiwi Farms
Tom Schultz is a third generation family farmer in Marysville, California. Under his direct management, Chase National Kiwi Farms operates on approximately 155 acres and produces California Certified Organic kiwifruit. They also farm an additional 20 acres of conventional grown kiwifruit. The company also packs kiwifruit for 5 outside kiwifruit growers & is a major exporter of California kiwifruit to Japan.
After graduating from Chico State University in 1973, Tom then began in the California kiwifruit industry, staying in the Chico area. He has been dedicated and personally involved in kiwifruit nursery, growing, packing, cold storage and export segments of business, full time, since 1973.
As a proud graduate of Class 14 of the California Ag Leadership Program, Tom continues with his leadership role in the Kiwifruit industry. Currently, he serves on the Kiwifruit Marketing Order Board and is past President of the Kiwifruit Growers Association and past Chairman of the California Kiwifruit Commission.
Tom represented the California kiwifruit industry at the first International Kiwifruit Organization meeting in Paris, France and has represented California at other International meetings in Hong Kong, South Korea, Chile, Italy and France. His travels to most of the worlds’ major kiwifruit producing countries (New Zealand, Chile, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea) allows him to study their kiwifruit growing practices.
Chin Farms
Chin Farms is the growing operation of Wong Potatoes, Inc., a family owned business which has been growing, packing, and shipping potatoes in the United States since 1930. Their potatoes are shipped throughout the United States and the Pacific Rim countries. Each year, Chin Farms grows and ships over 70 million pounds of the world’s favorite vegetable!
The owners are Dee Dee and Daniel Chin, third generation potato farmers in the Klamath Basin. The Klamath Basin is ideal for growing quality products because of its high elevation (4,100 ft.) and short growing season (115 days).
Their potatoes include red, yellow, russet, and specialty potatoes along with a full line of organically grown potatoes. Chin Farms grows about 2,400 acres of conventional potatoes, wheat, alfalfa hay, and dehydrated onions, and their organic division, Chin Family Farms Organic, LLC, grows about 2,500 acres of organic potatoes, wheat, and alfalfa hay.