Perez Brothers Farms: Growing Sweet Fruit with Deep Central Valley Roots

Sheree Bishop, Communications Coordinator
May 29, 2026

While shopping at the Alemany or Ferry Plaza farmers markets, you may have noticed cold juices, packs of dried orange slices, or jars of jalapeño apricot jam next to an abundance of stone fruit and citrus at Perez Brothers Farms. Based in the Central Valley, next-generation farmer Daniel Perez and his family are bringing innovation to their offerings, with the support and collaboration of their neighboring farming community.

Daniel Perez grew up in the Modesto area, raised by parents who grew and sold stone fruit like cherries and apricots. “Since I was little, I was around a lot of other farms and farmers, too. We would go to a friend’s farm that had strawberries. I remember always helping them pack peaches or pick cherries when we were younger,” he says.

Perez Brothers Farms is named after three of four Perez siblings: Daniel and his brothers Alex and Max. They also have a sister named Samantha, who is the youngest of the four. Though Alex and Max have pursued other career paths, Daniel, his wife, Jessica, and his father, Wilfredo, continue to run the family business.

Relying on the Support of Other Local Farmers

In the same way that local farmers were a key part of his upbringing, support from those same farmers has also helped Daniel grow Perez Brothers Farms into what it is today.

In Tracy, Daniel leased farmland from Raul Rodriguez, a farmer with over 40 years of experience growing and selling apricots, plums, and other fruit. Raul continues to provide his knowledge and support, even after he decided to retire in his 80s and hand over operations to Perez Brothers Farms. 

“Raul still likes to be active. And he always gives me good advice too. I also have other friends that help me,” Daniel says. He tries to ask as many questions as he can to learn from people who have already navigated a large and tough agriculture industry. 

For Daniel, the community of people he works with is central to how he makes decisions about the businesses. When one of his pickers was deported, Daniel offered support and checked on him. “We have a couple of people, Pedro, Chito, and Elias. They’re basically full-time at the farm. I think the people who help me are important because without them, I would be nothing,” Daniel says.

Even though it ultimately makes growing more difficult, the Perez family does not spray pesticides on the farm for the health and safety of their family, workers, and neighboring community. “If my kids are gonna eat this fruit, then someone else’s kids will, too. We want to make sure that everyone’s safe. I know how in other areas, farmers spray, and then I could smell the spray, and it gives me headaches. I already had a brain tumor. I don’t want someone else to get sick,” he says.

From Modesto to San Francisco: Finding New Connections at the Alemany Farmers Market

Daniel joined the Alemany Farmers Market in 2017 after getting to know another fruit farmer who sold produce at the market. “It’s funny because I met someone at a disposal place. We were kind of admiring each other’s work trucks. I had fruit, and he had fruit, and we were talking about it, and then all of a sudden he invited me to go sell at Alemany with him.”

Daniel first supported other farmers at Alemany and got to know the community before becoming a vendor himself. “A couple years passed by, and I asked to join the market with our farm. We didn’t have much at first, just seasonal crops in winter and some in summer, so there were a lot of gaps.”

Now, Perez Brothers Farms grows several varieties of stone fruit and citrus, as well as guavas, jujubes, sugarcane, tomatoes, persimmons, and more. The family has 33 acres across three plots of land (some leased and some owned) in Tracy, Modesto, and Reedley. 

Daniel’s favorite part of being at the Alemany Farmers Market is its diversity, affordability, and tight-knit community. “There’s a mix of every nationality in San Francisco,” he says, “We would get our vegetables there to take home. There’s a lot of other vendors, some that are not there now, that we have really good relationships with.”

Daniel is based in Modesto, and his father is in Fresno. As a team, they handle different sales channels for the farm. “When my dad’s coming this way, he has a place where he stays. And then when I go down that way, I stay over there. We kind of switch sides back and forth.”

Wilfrido manages their wholesale at Berkeley Bowl Marketplace and the New India Bazar location in Milpitas, while Daniel makes sure that Perez Brothers Farm has a presence at a variety of Northern California farmers markets, including ones hosted by Good Roots Events, which brings local produce to corporate partners in the Bay Area.

Turning Central Valley Fruit into Fresh Juices, Jams, and Snacks

Jessica Perez, Danny’s wife, first came up with the idea to juice their produce. “We always had extra mandarins, and we didn’t sell as much. And she would always tell me, ‘Why don’t you juice them or do something with them?’” Danny says, “Later down the road, after I recovered from my brain tumor, I started getting more into juicing to get healthier.”

Together with his wife, Jessica, they made cold-pressed juice from mandarins, pomegranates, and cherries. More recently, Jessica came up with the idea to add dried fruits and other value-added farm products to their booth, such as apricot rose and apricot jalapeño jams.

“I’m always just working, and doing the same things sometimes. My wife will think outside the box,” Danny says. Though they’ve had a dryer since 2025, they didn’t start using it until this year to freeze-dry slices of Cara Cara oranges and other citrus fruits. 

In the future, Daniel looks forward to slowly expanding the business and purchasing new land that would provide space to grow different varieties of fruit, such as white apricots. “I do it for my family, my wife, my kids, and the people who help me, too. That really helps me stay motivated,” Daniel says.

Visit Perez Brothers Farms on Saturdays at the Alemany Farmers Market and Thursdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.

Topics: Farmers, Farmers market