The concept is both simple and meaningful – provide the marketplace with an easy solution to sourcing a consistent supply of organic vegetables directly from farmers committed to social and environmental sustainability.
The Borquez family and the Deardorff family have each been independently farming for generations. The Deardorff family has been farming ever since they started in the 1930’s in Los Angeles, California. And, the Borquez family has spent the last four (4) generations developing their own organic farming operations in various parts of Mexico. A mutual commitment to sustainability, transparency and loyalty have brought these industry leading families together under a go-to-market program.
The program will focus on organic celery and then add organic broccoli and organic cauliflower later in the season. The Borquez family farms its winter vegetable program in an area with outstanding climate, water, and labor availability. The families will leverage this production ability between Campos Borquez and Deardorff to bring the best, most consistent organic vegetable supply to the market.
“This is a farm-based approach to meeting market demand” explains Tom Deardorff, II. “So often, we simply plant what the customer wants and try our best to make a good crop, however you must be in the right geographical region, in the right soil, and at the right time of year to produce the best, most consistent, and highest quality produce.”
A mutual commitment to social and environmental sustainability is another important part of this program. The Borquez family is committed to the Dignity Project to offer healthcare, education, and nutrition to their local community; and the Deardorff family built one the first and largest LEED Gold certified produce facilities in California saving millions of gallons of water and using solar energy for power.
The program will also offer flexibility. Product may be loaded in Oxnard or Yuma during various times of the year. And because the program is “farm-based”, the families have decided to keep offering their independent labels. The Campos Borquez label will be available seasonally from December to April and is supported by Fair Trade certification, and the Deardorff Organics label will be offered year-round.
The program will be led by Luke Patruno at Deardorff Family Farms and Rodrigo Torres at Campos Borquez.
