In 1972, when Manuel Eduardo Vieira arrived in Livingston, Calif., with his wife, Laurinda, and three children, he knew almost nothing about sweet potatoes. His uncle, Antonio Vieira Tomas, had been growing sweet potatoes in the sandy Central Valley soil since 1960, after he emigrated to the United States from the Portuguese Azores in 1920.
Manuel spent five years at his uncle's side learning the rhythms of planting and harvest before buying the company in 1977. The deal was modest, including one building, 80 acres of sweet potatoes, and some basic equipment. Manuel signed the papers, buying into a crop that most folks in the U.S. at the time only associated with holiday dinners.
Manuel's sons grew up in the fields and packing sheds. Ricardo started working there in 1984, learning the farming side during summers and after school. Carlos followed, joining full-time eight years after his brother. Today, Ricardo oversees the farming while Carlos manages sales and packing. It's the kind of succession that happens gradually, until one day you realize the sons are making the decisions.
The family took its first step into organic farming in 1988, planting a small test acreage when consumer interest was just beginning to stir. The transition to organic takes time, but Manuel was patient because he knew it was the future of growing. The company now grows several organic varieties, from the deep purple Okinawa to the pale Japanese sweet potato, each adapted to California's particular climate and soil.
Organic farming at A.V. Thomas means rotating crops to keep the soil healthy and using pest management methods free of synthetic chemicals. During unusually wet winters, they will use surface water from the Merced River Watershed when it's available. In drier years, sustainable water management practices, such as their drip irrigation, are used to conserve water.
Manuel was among the first to hand-sort sweet potatoes in the field as they were harvested, which protects the potatoes and speeds up packing. When the industry started using water tubs for cleaning, he installed deeper ones and developed a method of lowering the harvest bins gently into the water rather than dumping them. Each potato floats to the surface unbruised.
The warm climate and sandy soil that drew Manuel's uncle continue to yield sweet potatoes. The first small packing shed in Livingston is still standing. The Vieira family still owns it, though it sits quiet now, a reminder of what has become over the last 50 years.
How To Add Farm Stand Products to Your Delivery
CSA members—head on over to our online Farm Stand Market to customize your upcoming delivery. Market is open from noon on Thursday until 6 pm on your cutoff date. After you confirm your produce items, click the orange button "Confirm and Continue To Other Farm Products" to add the products to your delivery.
Not part of our farm family? Find out if we deliver to your neighborhood. You can even get your whole office in on the fun with our office snack packs. Find more information about our office deliveries here.
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Photos: A.V. Thomas Produce
