Strawberry Patch to Pioneer

In the early days of the organic movement, Dale Coke set out to prove that farming without chemicals wasn't just an idealistic dream but a practical reality. It was 1980 when Dale, with deep California farming roots stretching back five generations, planted a quarter-acre of strawberries in Watsonville. This small beginning would grow into something much more significant.

Vierra Farms

“It’s in my blood, I can’t help it!” David Vierra says of his passion for farming. Ellard Vierra, David’s grandfather, was instrumental in settling the Sacramento River Delta in the 1920’s, and he farmed full-time until the mid-1960’s.

Know Your Farmer: Fishpeople

Know Your Farmer

After a successful career in the textile and apparel industry, Duncan Berry moved to the central coast of Oregon with the idea of starting an environmental consulting business. He was passionate about protecting and restoring Oregon’s natural resources. He had grown up salmon fishing on his family’s fishing boat, so an interest in marine life came naturally to him. He became increasingly involved in marine reserve projects as well as environmental policy. It was at a sustainability-focused roundtable with Oregon’s governor that he met Kipp Baratoff, who had a background in finance and operations. Together, they recognized that the way the fishing industry was operating at the time was inefficient and harmful to the environment. Ocean habitats were in danger, as were the coastal communities where economies depended on the industry. With the goal of revolutionizing the relationship between consumers and the sea, they co-founded Fishpeople in 2012.

Know Your Farmer: Equal Exchange

An Honest & Fair Food Movement 

Equal Exchange was founded in 1986 with an idea of creating a food trading model that was honest and fair, and values each part of the supply chain. Equal Exchange is a forward-thinking company that cares deeply for the justice of small farmers, the organic food movement, and sustainable ways to bring their products to their consumers, while thinking about the environmental impact and how to ensure a happier planet. Sounds like a perfect partner for us to link arms with, right? 

Know Your Farmer: Bellwether Farms

Grassy Pastures Lead Sheep to Award Winning Cheese

Cindy Callahan, founder of Bellwether Farms in Sonoma, CA, decided to bring some sheep to pasture as a natural way to control the growing grass. She was a nurse, and in her 50’s, so a career in cheese was not top of mind. However, a casual suggestion by a friend to milk the sheep opened Cindy’s eyes to the potential of a sheep dairy farm. She embraced the challenge, bringing the rest of her family along for the eventful ride. There are so many reasons we are grateful to be a part of Bellwether Farms’ ride of a lifetime.

Know Your Farmer: Frog's Bakery

Available in southern California Farm Boxes. 
Since 2010, Frogs Bakery has been turning flour, water and yeast into works of art – for both the eyes, and the palate! Though they originally opened their doors in Tuscon, AZ, it wasn’t long before their products gained popularity, and they realized they needed to expand. In 2013, the team built a new production bakery and moved their operations to Gardena, CA where they are located today.

Know Your Farmer - Cru Chocolate

Growing connections from cacao farms to chocolate loving communities

With passion, craftsmanship, and creativity, two engineers turned entrepreneurs have brought the first bean-to-bar business to the Sacramento area. Cru Chocolate was founded by Karla McNeil-Rueda and Eddie Houston in 2016, and we are grateful to have them join our community.