Green Thumb Farms

People

Rudy Jimenez and Maria Gonzalez, along with 4 full-time, 4 part-time, and 3 seasonal employees.

Farmland

5 acres in San Juan Bautista and 19 acres in Watsonville, 100 miles from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.

About

In 2015, Rudy Jimenez completed a farming course in Salinas and established his own farming operation. He gained knowledge from ALBA and received mentorship from his father along the way. Today Rudy, his wife, Maria, and his son, Rodolfo, carry on the family farming legacy at Green Thumb Farms, supported by a dedicated and hardworking team.

Green Thumb Farms is dedicated to providing customers with a diverse array of high-quality vegetables. Drawing on the rich knowledge passed down through their proud Indigenous roots, they are devoted to nurturing the land they cultivate. They embrace diversity, practice crop rotation throughout the year, and cultivate perennial plants that enhance soil quality.  Their commitment to soil health is not just a priority; it is a foundational principle that guides their long-term vision for sustainable farming. They also educate youth about food justice, ensuring that the legacy of sustainable agriculture continues to thrive. In 2024, they opened Cultiva, a farm-to-table restaurant in San Juan Bautista, showcasing Maria’s plant-based cuisine and produce from the farm.

Nucha Empanadas

People

Vanessa Medrano, along with 7 full-time employees

About

In the early 1900s, Nilda Bottazzi’s family migrated to Argentina from Parma, Italy. Her family brought the rich traditions of Italian cooking and soon discovered the flavors of South America. Nilda, nicknamed “Nucha’’ by her family, grew up making Argentine empanadas. Nucha’s empanadas were always a hit at parties and events. After countless requests and nudges by friends and colleagues, the family decided to share their empanadas with the Bay Area. In 2021, at the age of 92 years old, Nucha passed away peacefully in her home in San Francisco, surrounded by her loved ones. Since then, the family business has passed on to her son, Ruben, and now to her great niece, Vanessa, who is determined to continue the legacy of Nucha and all of the traditions that their family have passed on generation after generation.

Sourcing

Nucha Empanadas sources organic and local ingredients from various distributors, as well as from other vendors that also sell in the farmers markets.

En Vie Naturals

People

Kim Leonard

About

After completing the Renaissance Entrepreneur Center Women’s Program, Kim Leonard founded En Vie Naturals in 2009. Kim was one of the original vendors at the Mission Community Market and has attended ever since. A one-woman operation, Kim developed her skin and body products through trial and error and with the support (and product testing) of family and friends. Her offerings include her body butters, aromatherapy sprays, pain relief sprays, as well as pain relief cream. Kim is dedicated to building relationships with her customers by listening to what they want from their skincare products.

Sourcing

En Vie Naturals products are handmade in small batches in Kim’s home in the Mission District. Most ingredients are sourced in California. Kim is transitioning to sustainable packaging.

Jen Kindell

People

Jen Kindell

About

Mission-based artist Jen Kindell creates hand-printed screen prints, inspired by California native wildlife and Mission Community Market vendors. She has been a Mission Community Market vendor for over 10 years
She has been sharing her works with neighbors at the farmers market since 2013. Jen believes in “creating artworks that sing nature’s songs into your spaces,” and her artwork depicts colorful local produce and fauna, including Rainbow chard, Pomodoro tomato vines, and sunflowers.

Bisou Chocolate

People 

Eli Curtis and Tracey Britton

About

Eli and Tracey met in San Francisco while working as bike messengers. A biking trip through Belgium introduced them to a plethora of artisanal chocolate shops and inspired them to make their own chocolate. After years of experimenting, they formed Bisou Chocolate and started making their bars and truffles and, more recently, vegan caramels and confections. They deftly coax intriguing flavors from high-quality cocoa beans to make flavorful chocolate, while paying a high premium to cocoa farmers for their hard work and superior product. Eli and Tracey are artisans with the single focus of making modern chocolate, crafted in time-honored tradition.

Sourcing

Bisou sources its beans from farmers around the world and prioritizes sourcing from farmers who have fair labor practices, regenerative farming techniques, and a commitment to quality post-harvest handling.

Medrano's Flowers

People

David and Rosa Medrano, and their children, Carla, Saul, and Mauricio

Farmland

5 acres in Royal Oaks, 95 miles to San Francisco

About

David Medrano has been in the cut-flower industry for over 30 years. He began by washing buckets at a floral wholesaler, and little by little learned to do other tasks until he was promoted to wholesale manager. After working for the wholesaler for almost 15 years, David decided to start his own flower farm. He began growing in 2001 with a small variety of flowers, which has diversified to over 60 varieties of flowers year-round. Today, Medrano’s Flowers is operated with the help of David’s wife, Rosa, and his children, Carla, Saul, and Mauricio. They have been selling directly to their customers at farmers markets for almost two decades. David gets to do what he loves along with spending time with his family. 

Arata Farms

People

Michael Arata and 1 full-time employee

Farmland

30 acres in Byron, about 60 miles to San Francisco

About

Farmer Mike Arata has been farming for over 50 years. He now owns and manages Arata Farms in Contra Costa County. Both of his grandparents immigrated from Italy and began farming in 1918, making Mike a third-generation farmer. Mike practices conventional farming while integrating organic practices when possible. From the warm-summer Mediterranean climate of Byron, California, Arata Farms brings a variety of fruit to the farmers market, including plums, cherries, and their longest-standing offerings of figs and peaches. Some of their peaches were picked from trees that were planted over 50 years ago.

Avila Farms

People

Ruben Avila and Dominga Nunez, and their children Jeanette and Mateo Avila, with 2 full-time employees and about 10 seasonal employees

Farmland

23 acres in Hollister, about 99 miles to San Francisco

About

Ruben Avila and Dominga Nunez started Avila Farms in Watsonville in 2002. As their children grew older, they inherited their parents’ enthusiasm for growing and started getting more involved. The Avilas thrive by sharing the nutrition and joy of food with their family and the local community. Avila Farms prides itself on being small, family owned, and community oriented. They have participated in the Mission Community Market since 2018, and although they have had the opportunity to expand their business to grocery stores, they are focused on building relationships with customers at the farmers market. The farm uses organic practices, sources organic seeds, and is in the process of acquiring certification.

Winters Fruit Tree

People

Phil Carter, Carmen Villarreal and their children, with 5 full- and 6 part-time employees

Farmland

234 acres in Esparto, Winters, Sacramento, and Woodland, between 65 to 90 miles to San Francisco

About

Phil’s grandparents Paulina and Phillip Lupertino started their family farm in the 1920s in the Santa Clara Valley, growing cherries and apricots. In 1967 the farm moved to Winters, and in 1968, Phil’s father, William Carter, opened a fruit stand on Highway 128 to sell apricots. As the business grew, the farm diversified to incorporate almonds, walnuts, pistachios and pecans. Inspired by the customers they met running the fruit stand, the family branched out to farmers markets. In 2022 the farm diversified and entered into poultry farming, selling pasture-raised eggs at farmers’ markets. The farm continues to emphasize the importance of small family farms and the diversification of crops grown for a sustainable environment.

Blue House Farm

People

Ryan Casey, with 25 full-time employees and 10 seasonal employees

Farmland

50 acres in Pescadero and 70 acres in San Gregorio, about 36 and 45 miles to San Francisco

About

San Diego native and first-generation farmer Ryan Casey became interested in farming in college. After completing an internship with the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at UC Santa Cruz and working on several farms, he decided to launch his own organic operation. In 2005, the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) awarded Blue House Farm a lease on land in Pescadero. The farm has since grown, working with POST to restore and steward a historic 74-acre ranch in San Gregorio, where Casey also provides housing for most of his year-round farmworkers and their families. Operation in two different microclimates allows Blue House Farm to be biodiverse year-round. Cool-weather crops thrive like brassicas and lettuces thrive in the foggy weather on the San Gregorio property, while heat-loving crops like tomatoes and sweet potatoes love the Pescadero ranch’s sunny climate.

With support from POST, Blue House Farm raised a redwood timber frame barn on the San Gregorio ranch in 2019. The barn now houses their year-round Farmstand, which provides their local community with fresh produce, and is the hub for their seasonal strawberry and pumpkin U-pick

Certification

California Certified Organic Farmer (CCOF)