Urban Organics

People

Adrian and Esmeralda Mondragon, with 4 full- and 10 part-time employees

Farmland

28 acres in Santa Cruz County, about 90 miles to San Francisco

About

Adrian Mondragon is the third generation in his family to carry on their tradition of berry farming. In 2012 he and his wife, Esmeralda, ventured off to start their own farm, where they offer a variety of fruits and vegetables. Adrian and Esmeralda farm with the philosophy that they should strive to be the best land stewards that they can. In an effort to go beyond their CCOF organic certification and increase transparency with customers, they transitioned their farm to Regenerative Organic Alliance certification in 2026. On top of the standards of their organic certification, regenerative certification requires that the farm uphold rigorous standards for soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness, verified by a third party. Farms must actively enrich the soil they farm on, which Adrian and Esmeralda do by using cover crops, crop rotation, and minimal soil tillage.

Certification

California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)