Hey everyone! We hope you had a great sunny weekend, and aren’t thrown off by this chilly weather the past two nights. It sure was icy this morning packing your boxes - but your love and dedication to organics and veggies makes it all worth it. Thank you for bringing your folded down boxes back, we really appreciated the support!

This past week we were lucky enough to spend a beautiful evening at Bella Vista Farms - read below to learn more about this amazing farm and the family behind it.

Happy farm box day!

Hidden in the foothills just above downtown Carpinteria, there is a beautiful little 6 acre gem of a farm that grows Blueberries and Blackberries amongst the coastal chaparral. Bella Vista Farms is the family farm of the Occhipinti clan, led by father Joe Occhipinti. Nowadays, Joe’s daughter, Joanna, is taking the helm and continuing in her father’s work and we are super excited to get to bring these fruits to you this season as it is just beginning.

The Occhipinti farming story is super interesting as it lends a deep credence to what we are all trying to do in this responsible, organic agriculture movement that we call home:

Joe began his career in the late 70’s as a recent graduate of Cal Poly, working as a pest control advisor in the Oxnard plain. With small children to feed, a mortgage, and all of lifes pressures, he continued his work advising growers on what chemicals to use to kill insects and mildews for close to 20 years despite a sincere disappointment with his work. As Joe put it, “I was always against the grain with my career but I had children to feed.” When he was given the opportunity to farm for himself, under the first family label for bunched vegetables, Tasty, in the early 90’s, he took great pride in using the least amount of pest control possible. Even though he was under contract with a conventional distributor, he was proud to sneak beautiful, clean broccoli and kales into the market place that had never been sprayed.

Using the money that he made from his contract growing 60 acres in Oxnard, Joe was able to buy his little slice of paradise above Carpinteria and begin his true heartfelt journey into Organics. Bella Vista Farms has been home to organic vegetables, strawberries, flowers, and now 3 varieties of blueberries. Joe is a super kind, conscious guy who lights up when he talks about the robust native bee population that pollinate his blueberries, his no-till pathways, and the random bear that saunters through his fields periodically. It is hard to believe that he ever pushed synthetic chemicals for pest control. Joe and his family produce some really killer blueberries in our home town and we are so excited to share them with you. Thanks for having us Joe & Joanna, we will be back soon to gorge on your amazing blueberries!