People
Samuel, Tom, and Sage Betty, along with 20 full- and 22 part-time employees
Farmland
65 acres in Camino, 134 miles to San Francisco
About
Rainbow Orchards is a third-generation family farm located in beautiful and mountainous Camino, California, better known as Apple Hill. They have Pink Lady, Fuji, Arkansas Black, and Braeburn apples, as well as fresh-pressed “noth’n but apples” cider. They also grow blueberries, which run later into the summer season, due to the farm’s high elevation. Rainbow Orchards has been growing fruit for over 40 years, and they have been selling at Bay Area farmers markets for 20 years. Rainbow Orchards’ fruits and wines can be found at many San Francisco Bay Area farmers markets.
People
Gary Moua with 3 full- and part-time employees
Farmland
15 acres in Fresno, about 180 miles to San Francisco
About
Gary’s parents, Dirksen and Chee, migrated from Laos to California in the 1980s. Along with thousands of Laotian refugees, they fled to Thailand to escape the Vietnam War, and immigrated to the U.S. to escape persecution. They brought some knowledge of farming and decided to grow vegetables in Fresno, home to the nation’s largest Hmong diaspora. Despite the hard work and long hours, the Mouas remain dedicated to growing a diversity of crops for Asian communities and beyond, such as kabocha squash, lemongrass, bitter melon, opo, sinqua, and Thai chilies. Focusing on Asian vegetables has helped the Mouas define their niche at the farmers market. At the end of 2019, Gary had decided to start his own farm and named it GG Farm.
People
Joy Dolcini
Farmland
10 acres in Chileno Valley, about 50 miles to San Francisco
About
Farmer Joy is a sixth-generation family farm in Chileno Valley. Joy Dolcini and her family began by raising cattle and pigs to produce their own meat, and eventually started selling it to local businesses in 2018. When Joy’s children started raising chickens, resulting in an abundance of laid eggs, she started selling them at their preschool and eventually made it a business. The farm’s animals roam freely in the pastures, while foraging on grass and feed in the barn. This means the chickens, ducks, quail, and pigs eat natural grains and vegetables, while their cows are fully grass-fed. At her stand, she offers honey from her farm’s bees, duck, quail, and chicken eggs, and beef and pork in a variety of cuts, including ground beef, sausage, bacon and more.
People
Olivia Mecalco, 2 full-time and 3 part-time employees
About
For 18 years, Olivia Mecalco worked as a cook in San Francisco. She originally learned to cook from her grandmother, who loved Mexican traditions and was an avid collector of recipes from all over the country. In San Francisco, she worked in restaurants making everything from California-Mexican to Cuban, French, and Italian cuisines. Olivia dreamed of opening her own restaurant to share her own version of foods from all over Mexico and Latin America, fusing traditional recipes with more modern ingredients or techniques. In 2012, she joined the La Cocina incubator kitchen program, and has since worked to develop her business through restaurant pop-ups, catering events, and selling at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Sourcing
Most of the vegetables are sourced from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and Mission Community Market.
People
Mary Risavi, with 8 full-time employees
About
Mary Risavi got her start in farmers markets working at the Heirloom Organic Gardens stand. Building on her work as an acupuncturist and nutritionist, she started Wise Goat Organics with the intention to prepare nutrient-dense foods for her patients. She specialized in sauerkraut and uses micro-batch fermentation in glass crocks and stainless steel tanks to ensure a proper environment for beneficial bacteria to grow and to avoid any contamination from plastics. Her business has since expanded to include nut butters, tinctures, hot sauce and herbal elixirs. Mary is committed to offering nourishing foods to the community while also minimizing her environmental impact on Earth.
Sourcing
Wise Goat Organics sources seasonal, organic ingredients from local farmers within just a few miles of her San Benito County kitchen.
Certification
California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)
