Our Community

 

Black Jet Baking Co.

Black Jet is a small San Francisco baking company committed to making delicious, fun treats and baked goods. Gillian and her amazing sidekick JoJo create delicious, classic American baked goods and treats. They can often be found listening to music at outrageously high volumes, laughing hysterically while frosting cakes, making pies, scooping cookie dough or jamming our famous PoP dough with delicious fillings.

 

Sightglass Coffee 

Sightglass, which is named after the viewing window of their vintage PROBAT coffee roaster, aspires to source and produce quality-focused coffee. This San Francisco sibling-owned company recognizes each detailed step in coffee production. Their commitment to source the best coffee beans is revealed in the collaboration with farmers and being present at origin. This is ultimately what allows them to pinpoint the best expression for each harvested coffee roast.

 

Jane the Baker 

Founded by Amanda Michael, JANE was born with a mission to serve top quality coffee, healthy pastries and food options. Her passion and love for all things culinary spans decades. Many of their breads are baked fresh daily with locally sourced grains. Their team is always experimenting with new flavors and an expansion of their house-made breads and pastries can be found in either Jane on Larkin, Jane on Fillmore, and Jane the Bakery which have all opened in the last eight years.

 

Riverdog Farm

Partners Tim Mueller and Trini Campbell, along with their daughter and 50 full-time employees, keep this Capay Valley farm going year-round. You can taste their seasonal, certified organic produce through their weekly CSA, wholesale distributors, select retail markets, and at all Berkeley Farmers’ Markets.

 

Tory Farms

Tory Farms has been owned and operated by the Torosians for over 50 years, and boasts 80-acres of farmland at the foot of Smith Mountain in Dinuba, Ca. The Torosians call their farm “The Magic Ranch” because of the scenic beauty and abundant wildlife that inhabit their land. They also believe that delicious, wholesome produce can only be the result of growing on a healthy and happy farm.

 

County Line Harvest

David Retsky was raised in Los Angeles but rejected the urban life early on. He attended the UC Santa Cruz Farm and Garden Apprenticeship Program in 1994 then spent the majority of his twenties traveling and working on farms internationally and around the US. In 2000, at the age of 29, he started County Line Harvest. The farm is in full production year-round, but around 25% of the land is cover-cropped at any given time.

 

Hamada Farm

Hamada Farms has been in the Hamada family since 1921 and is known for their delicious fruits. Their orchards occupy 235 acres in the Kingsburg area. The Hamadas love to experiment with new fruit varieties, introducing 5-8 new cultivars every year.

 

Yerena Farm

After growing strawberries for Driscoll with their parents for 12 years, Brothers Apolinar (“Poli”) and Gilberto Yerena decided to lease their own farm. They began in 1982 growing conventionally, but in response to market demand converted five trial acres to organic. The organic fruit sold so well they eventually decided to transition the entire farm to organic.

 

Brokaw Ranch Company

Hank and Ellen Brokaw started their ranching operation in 1967. The Brokaw Ranch Company specializes in intensively farmed avocado, specialty citrus, and subtropical tree-fruit production. They aim to consistently produce plentiful crops of top-quality fruit while being good stewards of all resources: soil, water, and people. The Brokaw family earnestly pursues the introduction of new and superior avocado, citrus, and subtropical tree-fruit varieties for its patrons.

 

G.L. Alfieri

Gary Alfieri’s grandfather starting farming in 1926 and Gary’s father began working on the farm when he returned from serving in the army during World War II. Gary and his two brothers and sister were raised on the farm and grew up farming alongside their father. Gary took over the farm when his father passed away and raised his four children on the farm.

 

Everything Under The Sun

Bill Crepps began farming in 1987 after completing a graduate degree in alternative farming techniques. Everything Under the Sun is comprised of 5 plots - 28 acres - of land in Winters. Bill encourages biological diversity in his wide variety of crops on the farm. He farms using organic practices and does not use any synthetic chemicals. Everything Under the Sun dries many of its products, including fully ripe fruit, and no preservatives are added, so that their delicious products are available year-round.

 

Iacopi Farms

Upon his arrival from Italy in 1939, Louis Iacopi’s father, Michael, settled in Pescadero, where he learned to farm. In 1962, Louis began his farming career with 200 acres in Half Moon Bay. He farmed there until 1979, when he moved the farm to its current location, where Louis and his son, Mike, now maintain 165 leased acres. To maintain soil fertility, the Iacopis use synthetic fertilizers in combination with cover crops and compost. They use herbicides only when necessary—usually in the winter, when the ground is too wet for the tractors.

 

Heirloom Organics

Grant Brians has been farming organically since 1975 and acquired Heirloom Organics in 2006. The farm grows an array of open-pollinated (heirloom) varieties of vegetables and herbs that have been passed down for many generations and uses a combination of organic and biodynamic techniques. Heirloom Organics spans 175 acres in the Hollister area and was the second member of the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) on the Central Coast.

 

Zuckerman's Farm

Roscoe Zuckerman is the third generation farming their land. His grandfather (also named Roscoe) arrived in the Delta area in the 1920s and fell in love with the rich soil. Zuckerman’s Farm is located on an “island” in the Delta region formed by the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers flowing toward the San Francisco Bay. The water is held at bay by levees that surround the farmland. The Zuckermans once had upwards of 15,000 acres in the area. Over the years, the farm has survived many floods. All members of the Zuckerman family have been part of the farm in one way or another. When asked what he likes most about farming, Roscoe replies, “I like knowing that I’m doing something that others are enjoying and that I’m helping to feed the world.”

 

Triple Delight Blueberries

Since 1996, each year the Sorensen’s and their three delightful daughters produce quality blueberries to Central and Northern California. They’re grown in 5 different varieties and picked daily by hand. Bay Area pastry chefs and bakeries look forward to feature these flavorful seasonal blueberries in their creations.

 

Blossom Bluff Orchards

Ted and Fran Loewen are proud owners of Blossom Bluff Orchards which produce over 175 varieties of stone fruit, citrus, persimmons, and pomegranates. Their goal has been to offer unique and heirloom varieties picked at peak maturity so what you buy is ready to eat. Overripe fruit is dried or dehydrated.

 

Happy Boy Farm

For over 20 years, owner Greg Beccio has been growing great tasting organic crops. They have multiple plots of land across the central coast of northern California and are an active year-round participant of farmers’ markets, rain or shine.

 

Blue House Farm

Located in Pescadero, Blue House Farms has been operating since 2005. Their dedicated team grows an incredible diversity of certified organic vegetables, fruits and locally-grown flowers year-round. The farm staff are happy to help with any wedding or special event by lending their expertise in accent foliage and flowers.

 

Fifth Crow Farm

The three owners of Fifth Crow met and graduated from UCSC’s Farm & Garden program. Founded in 2008, Mike Irving, Teresa Kurtak, and John Vars founded their farm with the philosophy heavy in land stewardship. Their ongoing mission strives to make a positive change for future farmers while providing sustainable organic crops.