Vendors
Vendor Profiles
Alston Farms
OWNERS: Gilbert and Linda Alston
FARMLAND: 480 acres in Orland, CA., approximately 150 miles north of San Francisco.
FARM HISTORY: We’ve been farming on this ranch since 1976. Gilbert was raised on a farm in the Midwest and I was raised in San Francisco, right here in Noe Valley. We moved to the farm because we always wanted to live in the country where we could raise our four children. When I began learning about the health benefits of grass-fed beef, we switched from regular beef cattle, wheat and alfalfa to Jersey steers.
FARM’S SPECIALTY: Our specialty is grass-fed beef, from filet mignon and porterhouse to tri-tip and ground beef. Our Jersey beef is rated number-one for tenderness. We also sell jerky, beef sticks and homemade liver cookie treats for the dogs.
PHILOSOPHY: To raise the animals in the most humane way possible and keep them healthy and stress-free. By feeding cattle their natural food – grasses rather than grain – we raise healthier animals and, in turn, provide our customers with better-tasting beef that has tremendous health benefits. Grass-fed beef has more CLAs (conjugated lineolic acids) and Omega-3s than standard, grain-fed beef. We raise the animals on pesticide-free pastures, for healthy, lean meat.
RANCHING PRACTICES: Though not certified organic, we use no commercial fertilizer and no hormones. The cattle graze on enriched and irrigated pastures and spring grassland that is full of clover, rye grass, and fescue. In winter, we supplement their diet with alfalfa. The meat is dry-aged, vacuum sealed, frozen, and temperature maintained for quality.
FARM STAFF: Along with the two of us and our daughter-in-law Frances, with have one part-time helper.
CONTACT INFORMATION: www.alstonfarms.com, 530-865-2666
Bennett Valley Bread & Pastry
OWNERS: Tim and Crystal Decker
BAKERY: Our wholesale bakery is located in Santa Rosa, California.
BAKERY HISTORY: We’ve been bakers in Sonoma County for over 20 years. In 1999, we opened our own full-service retail bakery in Santa Rosa. Now we sell exclusively to wholesale clients and at farmers’ markets. As a wholesale business, we've found we can give our full attention to baking.
BAKERY SPECIALTY: Handcrafted rustic breads. We’re especially known for our cheese breads. We've won numerous gold medals at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair, including “Best of Show” for our Gorgonzola Walnut Bread. Tim is world renowned for brick-oven baking. He often speaks at conventions and conferences, such as the Brick Oven Baker’s Conference at the Marin Headland’s.
PHILOSOPHY: Our business is completely hands-on, using only the best ingredients. To ensure quality, we see the baking process through from start to finish.
BAKING PRACTICES: Not certified organic. Special Ingredients: All organic flours and always the highest-quality ingredients, including produce traded with farmers’ market vendors.
EMPLOYEES: Ours is primarily a family-run business. Our kids, Jeremy (25), Brandon (19), and Anton (16) often help us out. We have three other employees.
CONTACT INFORMATION: BVBread@comcast.net, 707-575-9345
Capay Fruits & Vegetables
OWNERS: Thaddeus and Freeman Barsotti, Noah and Che Barnes
FARMLAND: 240 acres in Capay Valley, approximately 90 miles northeast of San Francisco
FARM HISTORY: Capay Fruits & Vegetables was begun in 1976 by our parents Kathy and Martin, who also founded the Davis Farmers’ Market with two other farmers. Ours was the second organic farm in Yolo County. After our mother graduated from UC Davis, she borrowed enough money to buy the first 20-acre patch, which became the first organic farm in Capay Valley. In 1992, she started one of the first CSAs in California, Farm Fresh to You. Today we have about 1,500 customers from San Francisco to Sacramento. We supply produce to CSA customers and many San Francisco Bay Area restaurants, and you can find our produce at a number of farmers’ markets and stores including Whole Foods Market and Capay Organic, our own retail store in the Ferry Plaza.
PHILOSOPHY: We strongly believe in stewardship of the land and feel a great responsibility to take care of this ground and pass it on to future generations. We also feel a responsibility to the consumer to provide safe products, grown with the environment and consumer's safety in mind.
GROWING PRACTICES: Certified organic since 1996. To augment the soil, we use compost from urban organic matter as well as compost we produce ourselves from farmer market leftovers and cuttings. We also recycle all our boxes and maintain an enclosed ecosystem. We practice aggressive crop rotation, in which we leave the ground fallow every other year with cover crops and clover. We use pheromones, which saturate the air and control the moths that eat the pears and apples; bt, a naturally produced enzyme that attacks tomato hornworms; finally, we rely heavily on natural predators like ladybugs and praying mantis. For tough problems like aphids and beetles, we use soap and sulfur. When nearby Cache Creek is high enough, we irrigate from the creek. Otherwise, we use well water.
CONTACT INFORMATION: www.farmfreshtoyou.com, thaddeus@farmfresh2you.com, 530-796-4111
Field of Greens
OWNER: Peter Trembois
FARMLAND: 86 acres in San Benito County and 25 acres in Madera County; approximately 100 miles from San Francisco.
FARM HISTORY: Our family has been farming as far back as I can research. I have continued along that same path.
FARM SPECIALITY: Variety: we grow over 200 different varieties of vegetables, specializing in root crops and leafy greens.
PHILOSOPHY: Although we are not certified organic, we practice sustainable agriculture and provide the highest quality, freshest and most nutritious produce possible. We love to introduce our customers to new vegetables and share our family recipes.
GROWING PRACTICES: We use mulch, compost and cover crops to produce fertile soil. The soil on our San Benito County farm is Class 1, the most fertile soil in the area. We burn weeds after discing, and hand weed between crops. We use soap to discourage insects and introduce beneficial insects. We have a 300-foot well that supplies 86 acres and we use river water as a backup source.
FARM STAFF: Field of Greens is primarily a family-run business. We have 11 family members working for the farm, as well as nine other full time workers and 15 seasonal helpers.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Psemcd@aol.com, 650-948-0621
Happy Boy Farms
OWNER: M. Gregory Beccio
FARMLAND: 138 acres on seven plots of land in Gilroy, Chochilla, Madera, and San Juan Baptista; approximately 100 miles south of San Francisco.
FARM HISTORY: In 1988, I started farming on two acres, which I called Riverside Farms. Soon I sold the business and merged with Earthbound Farms to form Natural Selection Farms. But the business was becoming too big and I wanted to go back to a more sustainable, smaller-scale operation in which I could put my emphasis on quality and diversity. So I went back and launched another business, which focuses on specialty vegetables. I named this farm Happy Boy because I was so happy to sell the larger company. And it’s a name that best describes how I feel about what I’m doing now – running a small, quality organic farm. The majority of produce is sold to retail and restaurants, locally and nationwide. We also sell at more than a dozen Bay Area farmers’ markets.
PHILOSOPHY: To be in balance with the seasons, not to cheat nature by getting something in too early or too late. This is often the temptation if you want to beat out the competition and sell products before they are in season or after. I also like offering staples as well as interesting, new specialty produce. But always, my emphasis is on freshness and the best possible quality.
GROWING PRACTICES: Certified organic since 1989. We use cover crops and California Organic Fertilizer to keep the soil healthy. We weed by hand and with tractors. Our pre-irrigating cultivation practices keep soil moist and weeds out. We also use crop rotation and alternate long-term crops with short-term crops. We utilize floating row covers and crop rotation to manage pests. We have an on-site well; one parcel is irrigated with water from the Pajaro River.
FARM STAFF: Along with Greg and his wife Toku, at peak season, there are about 50 employees.
CONTACT INFORMATION: beccio@cruzio.com, 831-662-0361
Hidden Star Orchards
OWNER: Johann Smit
FARMLAND: Hidden Star Orchards has 100 acres of tree fruit and grapes. Our 80-acre ranch is located 30 miles northeast of Stockton in the foothills below Jackson; approximately 100 miles from San Francisco.
FARM HISTORY: My parents John and Clazien Smit came from Dutch farming families. But as farmland is scarce in Holland, their parents immigrated to California to farm land of their own. John and Clazien met and married here, and raised seven children. In 1969, they started a dairy ranch in Linden and in 1985 converted it to an apple orchard. Over the years they added other fruit trees including cherry, peach, nectarines, and pluots. We converted to organic practice several years ago. Ours has become a real family business. I began farming with my parents 10 years ago. Now my children Peter and Maddie pitch in too.
FARM SPECIALTY: All of our apples. And we constantly receive praise for our dried fruits.
PHILOSOPHY: While we find organic growing more labor intensive than conventional techniques, it’s also rewarding to produce top-quality fruits that promote good health for the land and our customers.
GROWING PRACTICES: Certified transitional status since 2002. San Joaquin loam soil is amended with cover crops and compost. Hoeing, mowing, burning, and discing helps us control weeds. We practice pheromone disruption to control insects, owl boxes (owls prey upon voles), discing to destroy vole habitat, and maintaining a habitat for beneficial insects. For irrigation, we micro-spray water from our onsite well.
FARM STAFF: Along with family members, we have seven year-round employees and 10 seasonal staff.
CONTACT INFORMATION: www.hiddenstarorchards.com, johann@hiddenstarorchards.com, 209-483-8990
Juicey Lucy’s
Owner: Lisa Bach, a.k.a. Lucy
LOCATION: In the heart of San Francisco’s North Beach at 703 Columbus Avenue at Filbert Street. Open 7 days a week, 10-6.
HISTORY: Juicey Lucy’s has been a 100% organic pioneer in San Francisco since 1996. I was inspired to share healing practices I'd learned healing my son. Juicey Lucy has been voted “Best Juice Bar in San Francisco” by SF Weekly. Juicey Lucy’s has been recognized world-wide as a “Holistic Food Lover’s Destination.”
SPECIALTIES: Our specialties are juice, smoothies, and foods made with organic seasonal ingredients. Vegetable Vitality, one of our most popular juices made from all the greens of our abundant garden, “Takes you up and never lets you down.” Our spring special is Lil’ Lucy, made of strawberry, apple, orange, mint, and ginger, with or without banana.
PHILOSOPHY: We are a kosher garden café-juice bar that makes a difference. Rather than accept the premise that “it’s too expensive to buy local and organic,” Juicey Lucy’s has been consistently innovative and creative while using only the best organic foods. With community support, we have found a way to sustain our business and our earth.
ELIXIR PRACTICES: Though we are not certified organic, our ingredients are 100% organic. Produce comes from local organic farmers including Twin Girls, Hidden Star Orchards, and Happy Boy Farms. Baked goods are made of 100% organic, vegan ingredients, as is our entire menu.
EMPLOYEES: My partner, Abbott Paul Sayre, and many beautiful beings.
CONTACT INFORMATION: www.juiceylucy.com, juiceylucys@gmail.com, 415.786.1285
Malik Ranch
OWNERS: Peter, Grace, Alfred Louie and Dr. Malik.
FARMLAND: 220 acres in Hickman, southeast of Modesto; approximately 115 miles east from San Francisco.
FARM HISTORY: For generations, the Louie family has been farming. They were farmers in China, and then because of a famine, a couple of our family members became migrant workers in the Sacramento Delta. Eventually, they saved enough money to buy a farm in Milpitas and Gilroy, and farmed that land up to the 1980s. My father Peter Louie and his two brothers started Louie’s Produce Company in 1982. We started selling at farmers’ markets in the 1980’s. In 1990, our family joined up with the Malik family. Since then, we’ve been Malik Ranch.
PHILOSOPHY: To bring the most nutritious California grown nuts and tree-ripened fruits to customers and to educate people about including nuts in their meals to assure a healthy diet.
GROWING PRACTICES: Not certified organic. We use organic compost and 20/20/20 fertilizer. The soil composition is already very good, and the trees have been there for such a long time, that there’s no need to add anything artificial. We’ve used no pesticides since 1990. We use hand and mechanical cultivation and herbicides for weeds. We don't interfere with pests. Any damaged fruits or nuts go back to the land and act as compost. Irrigated by local city water.
FARM STAFF: Malik Ranch is currently run by five family members, one full-time foreman and 10 part-time seasonal helpers.
CONTACT INFORMATION: www.maliknuts.com , ahlouie@gmail.com, 415-225-9220
Neufeld Farms
OWNERS: Charles, Tom, and Jim Neufeld
FARMLAND: 300 acres located approximately 180 miles south of San Francisco in Kingsburg in southern Fresno County.
FARM HISTORY: The Neufeld family has been farming since the 16th century. The early Neufeld farmers were invited by Katherine the Great, Czarina of Russia, to help improve agriculture in the Ukraine. The family immigrated to the United States just prior to the Great Depression and settled in California, only 10 miles from where the farm is now.
FARM SPECIALTY: We specialize in fresh fruit, but we are also known for our dried fruit. Dried or fresh, our fruit is of the highest quality and, while not certified organic, whenever it is tested for pesticides, it comes up virtually pristine and clean, free of any chemicals.
PHILOSOPHY: Being in farming as long as we have, we greatly value this way of life. It’s important for us to be outside, close to what nature can provide and produce. This life offers quite a reward.
GROWING PRACTICES: Not certified organic. We use a combination of soil augmentation that’s safe for the soil, animals and plants. We practice crop rotation and augment with unused fruits, leaves and sticks. We use natural fertilizers like chicken and cattle waste. We occasionally use chemical fertilizers. We control weeds through mechanical, hand, and chemical (primarily Round-Up) means. We use natural pest predators such as lacewings, which eat aphids; wasps, which eat coddling moths; and predacious mites, which eat destructive mites. Pheromone strips help keep many destructive insects at a minimum. Sprays are only used as a last resort. Our strong ecology of birds, foxes, rabbits and other wildlife proves we’re using safe, balanced methods. The local water district provides water from the Kings River for most of the year. Occasionally, we rely on our on-site well.
CONTACT INFORMATION: www.neufeldfarms.com, JamesNeufeld@bigplanet.com, 707-975-4605
Quick-N-Ezee Indian Foods
OWNERS: Surinder and Sukhi Singh
HISTORY: Sukhi Singh, founder of Sukhi’s Quick-N-Ezee Indian Foods, is the mastermind behind the company’s innovative Indian food products and services. While she is well known for her culinary abilities, those close to Sukhi would describe her foremost as a vibrant, determined and multi-talented entrepreneur. While Sukhi’s professional involvement with food officially started in 1992,her interest in “good cooking” has been with her for the past 30 years. Sukhi learned gourmet cooking at her grandmother’s house in India, and broadened her expertise in India’s vast regional delicacies during travels throughout India and her time in England.
SPECIALTIES: Samosas, chutneys, naan, one-step pastes and marinades, roti rolls, naanwiches, and parathas.
PHILOSOPHY: With the fast-growing demand for Indian food, we realized that people in the Bay Area don’t always have access to quality Indian food. We decided to offer locally prepared Indian food that is prepared from authentic recipes in an approved hygienic facility that abides by the strictest state and federal regulations.
COOKING PRACTICES: Not certified organic. We use Indian spices and fresh vegetables, rice, tortillas to prepare samosas, various chutneys, one-step curry pastes, marinades, roti rolls, and naanwiches.
Food Preparation: All of our items are prepared in an usda-approved kitchen in Hayward, CA.
EMPLOYEES: A total of 25 people work in the kitchen, warehouse and administrative department.
CONTACT INFORMATION: www.sukhis.com, info@sukhis.com, 510-264-9264
Snyders Honey
FARMING PRACTICES: We pride ourselves on maintaining our bees in an open space where they can gather pollen from a wide variety of wild flowers. Producing honey in the most natural way possible allows the vital enzymes and nutritional qualities from the bees and flower pollen to be fully appreciated.
FARMLAND: We keep our bees on the San Francisco Peninsula where the Mediterranean climate offers a nearly year round supply of pollen.
FARM STAFF: We’re a family business run by William and Ann Snyders
FARM HISTORY: Snyders Honey was started in the early 1960s by the Snyders family in La Honda, CA. William Snyders and his wife Ann now manage the apiaries. Snyders Honey has been sold in the San Francisco Bay Area at farmer's markets and other retailers for over 35 years. Our philosophy is to provide the best quality honey with minimum processing. We produce high quality honey which is gathered from a wide variety of local wildflower unique to the San Francisco Peninsula and other local California areas.
SPECIALTY: We’re known for our "Cappings Honey", which is honey in its most natural state, raw honey that is never heated or filtered. In addition to honey, we produce fresh, local bee pollen and pure, natural, 100% beeswax candles in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Our products are available at Noe Valley Farmer's Market and select Bay Area stores. You can contact us at snydershoney@sbcglobal.net or 650-747-0383
Sunny Farm
OWNERS: Jay Her and Pao Thao
FARMLAND: 17 acres in Clovis, approximately 180 miles east of San Francisco.
FARM HISTORY: Jay and Pao are a Hmong family that emigrated from Laos, where they were farmers in the mountains near the Laotian capital of Vientian. In 1989, they came to the U.S. with three of their children; three more were born in the U.S. The family settled in the Clovis/Fresno area, where there is a large Hmong community. While Jay and Pao’s parents practiced organic farming in Laos, they found the land here so lacking in nutrients that they must use fertilizers to properly grow their crops.
FARM SPECIALTY: Asian vegetables. People at many farmers’ markets come to us for our bok choy; long beans; Chinese, Japanese, American, and Italian eggplant; Thai basil; four different types of top-quality tomatoes; and many other varieties of produce not available from other farms.
PHILOSOPHY: Our goal is to grow a wide variety of the best quality produce. Even though it’s not organic, we use very small amounts of synthetic pesticides and are proud of our produce.
GROWING PRACTICES: Not certified organic. Compost and commercial fertilizers used to augment the soil. Mechanical and hand cultivation controls weeds. The herbicide Round-Up is applied twice yearly. Mint is interplanted with crops to minimize harmful insects. Late spring, a sulfur spray is applied to control plant disease. The family rents two plots of land. A four-acre plot is irrigated with pumped water from an on-site well. A local dam supplies the other 13-acre plot.
FARM STAFF: Jay Her, his wife Pao Thao, and four of Pao and Jay’s six children Kou, Paosoula, Daovong, and Tuleeh help on the farm.
CONTACT INFORMATION: 559-917-3223
Twin Girls Farms
OWNERS: Ignacio “Nacho” and Cassie Sanchez
FARMLAND: We cultivate a total of 400 acres on 15 different plots in Tulare and Fresno Counties, approximately 215 miles southwest of San Francisco.
FARM HISTORY: My parents came from Mexico in 1964, when I was three. We settled in the farming town of Cutler, where my parents worked as migrant field workers. I loved being outdoors and, once I graduated from high school, I decided I liked farming enough to pursue it as a career. In 1976, I enrolled in Reedley College and in the meantime, worked on a pomegranate farm, which was practicing some organic farming. I’d often sell at the Alemany Farmers’ market. I saw the best of direct marketing there, and thought this would be a good way to farm and sell my own produce. In 1988, I married my wife and a year later, bought 6 1/2 acres. In 1994, I quit my job at the Tulare County Agriculture Office and began farming full-time.
PHILOSOPHY: Being an organic farmer takes a lot of patience and perseverance, because unlike conventional farming, if you have aphids, you can’t just spray chemicals. My reward is knowing that my workers can pick the fruit without being harmed and my customers can enjoy it without worry.
GROWING PRACTICES: Certified organic since 1997. The soil here is rich in potassium and other minor nutrients like phosphorous, so we don’t need to add a lot. I simply let the natural vegetation grow and then incorporate it into the soil with plow or disc. Whatever fruit we don’t use or sell, we incorporate back into the soil, which turns into organic matter. We use mechanical and hand cultivation to control weeds. We monitor insects to determine which species are likely to do damage and then we release predatory insects like wasps and snails. To prevent damage, we also use biological, naturally occurring oils that we mix with copper and sulfur. We use drip, sprinklers, flood, and furrow irrigation. Our water sources are from three irrigation districts, as well as underground water, which is our preferred source.
FARM STAFF: Along with Cassie and I, many family members help out at the farmers’ markets, including my parents, as well as my nephews and sister-in-law. In addition, we have about 30 employed staff working on the farm.
CONTACT INFORMATION: twngrlsfarm@aol.com, 559-595-1780
VB Farms/Sunshine Organic
OWNER: Vanessa Bogenholm
FARMLAND: 65 acres in the Watsonville area, approximately 100 miles from San Francisco.
FARM HISTORY: I have a degree in Agricultural Biology and worked for a few years as an agricultural researcher. I began farming on my own in 1995. I didn’t want my dog walking through pesticides and really felt it was unfair to have my employees exposed to chemicals, so I started farming a small portion of the farm organically as an experiment. Within two years, I converted the entire operation to organic farming. We do all our own sales at 20 farmer’s markets a week; local deliveries to Santa Cruz and the Monterey area; wholesale as far away as New York and Montreal; and export to Japan.
FARM SPECIALITIES: Our strawberries will always be what we’re known for, and now the golden raspberries are becoming a sell-out as well.
PHILOSOPHY: I want to produce a product the customer enjoys, one that protects the environment, and creates a good, safe work environment for my employees.
GROWING PRACTICES: Certified organic since 1997. We practice crop rotation, utilizing compost and cover crops. We fertilize with fish and soybean emulsions. Hand and mechanical cultivation, propane burners and plastic mulch control weeds. We interplant crops with mustard and alyssum to encourage beneficial insects. Other plants that pest insects prefer are planted to keep intended crop clean; for example, snails prefer head lettuce to strawberries, so we plant lettuce in the strawberries to keep the snails off the strawberries. We occasionally spray with organic materials such as sulfurs for mildew and vegetable oils. We utilize on-site wells, and practice drip irrigation with soil sensors.
FARM STAFF: Besides myself, we have 12 full-time employees; 60 employees work about 10 months of the year; two dogs.
CONTACT INFORMATION: www.sunshineorganic.com; sunshineorganic@aol.com, 831-728-4540
Selling at the Market
If you're a farmer or vendor who would like to sell at the Noe Valley Farmers' Market, we ocassionally have a space become available. We accept both certified organic and non-organic vendors. Our Board of Directors makes decisions consensually about admitting new vendors. We take into account the following factors: We try to avoid vendors that directly compete with existing small businesses in Noe Valley. We look to provide diversity in the types of produce we sell. We try to balance our offerings so that we offer the community a good balance of fresh fruits and vegetables and other items, such as honey or jam. It is our mission to offer local foods, not crafts or services. New vendors must obtain all of their own permits. If you are interested in being a vendor at The Noe Valley Farmers' Market,send us an email.
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