Babé Farms Celebrates 25th Anniversary

The company that pioneered European style lettuces and specialty vegetables in the U.S. has reached a notable milestone, 2011 marks Babé Farms 25th anniversary. Babé Farms was the creation of Will Souza, a third generation farmer in the Santa Maria Valley. In 1986, Will and his founding partners; Frank & Judy Lundberg and Greg & Cherrie Pedigo established “Babé Farms”, a small innovative company breaking the mold of traditional farming. Babé Farms was one of the first to introduce packaged European salad mixes “mesclun”, hand selected specialty greens and a colorful array of baby vegetables into the United States. Twenty-five years later, the little company with a vision has now become the premiere label in specialty vegetables and one of the main catalysts for the gourmet revolution in the produce industry.

As 25 years have come and gone in the history of Babe Farms, so have they in the life of the baby on our logo. An infant at the time the logo was designed, Alanna Hughes, granddaughter of Babe Farms founder Wilbur Souza, is now an adult forming an identity of her own.

Although Alanna has spent countless vacations in California with her family, she was actually born and raised in Massachusetts. As a child, she excelled in academics, played soccer and lacrosse, and acted in many plays; her ambition eventually led her to make the jump from public to private school and attend Phillips Academy Andover, a New England Prep School. High school at Andover ignited in Alanna new passions that continue to drive her to this day, such as the Spanish language, international relations, and volunteerism. After making honor roll every term, pursuing summer study opportunities in Salamanca, Spain and Stanford University, and receiving Spanish and community service awards, Alanna graduated and moved “south” to Washington D.C.

Enrolled at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Alanna studied International Affairs with a focus on Latin American and Asian Studies, International Development, and Women’s Studies. On campus, Alanna directed a small business and served on the umbrella corporation’s Upper Management and Philanthropy Committee and participated in several student groups (including South Asian Society, where she danced Bhangra co-MC’ed their annual cultural show). She also co-founded the “Women Advancing Gender Equity” (WAGE) Fellowship with ten of her female classmates. Off campus, Alanna held internships at Save the Children, The Center for Responsible Travel, National Council of La Raza (NCLR), and Seeds of Peace and volunteered at the Central American Resource Center of Washington D.C. (CARECEN) and the Spanish Educational Development Center. In her Junior year, Alanna also spent 6 months studying and interning in Sao Paulo, Brazil, followed by a month volunteering at an orphanage and traveling in Peru.

Driven by her love for volunteering, her interest in starting a career in international development, and her background in Spanish, Alanna pursued an offer to work as a Community Economic Development Advisor in the Dominican Republic with the Peace Corps after college. Based in a rural farming district, she provided technical assistance to struggling businesses and aspiring entreprenuers. Through her work with a community-based tourism project (The Chocolate Tour), the microbusinesses of two women's groups, an association of youth artisans, and young adults enrolled in her business class, Alanna trained over 100 low income Dominicans in business administration skills, and also co-developed promotional materials and new products to increase the profitability of their endeavors. Additionally, Alanna co-wrote and co-managed 5 grants, 2 from USAID, allocating over $118,270 to rural business and education initiatives. Other projects that Alanna designed, implemented, and evaluated include the construction of a park, the execution of health and English courses, the introduction of writing workshops, the formation of local committees, and completion of community-mobilizing trash cleanups.

After finishing her service late last year, Alanna took some time off to travel with her mother and brother through Australia and New Zealand. Growing up the daughter of a Flight Attendant has afforded Alanna the opportunity to visit over 30 countries, and she aspires to follow in the footsteps of her globetrotting grandparents. Since her return to the States, she has also spent time back in Santa Maria, and has been applying for international development and socially responsible business jobs.

Source: Babé Farms