For second generation farmer Nick Stridsberg at San Gabriel Ranch, farming is a life-long love that is as much a part of his identity as roots are to a tree.
San Gabriel Ranch has been in business for a little over 30 years. Per Stridsberg, Nick’s father, started the farm on a few acres as a hobby. He purchased the land as something he could work on to connect him to the earth, and he felt this was an ideal place to raise a family and eventually retire. This hobby turned into a farming business, with 100 acres of land hosting 15 different varieties of certified organic tree fruit including grapefruit, lemons, guavas, variety of oranges, mandarins, avocados, and some exotic fruit.
Nick was born in the house on the property and grew up supporting the family’s business. Nick explains, “My dad is pretty old school, he said I had to work on the farm for a number of years before anything else.” When of age, Nick was taking care of 40 acres of land by himself, including picking, pruning, irrigating, and fertilizing his designated trees. After coming back from college, Nick started to take over farming operations at San Gabriel Ranch. He sells his produce to Southern California packing houses, catering companies, grocery stores, and to a couple of CSA programs. Whenever possible, Nick cherishes selling to local businesses, “[Selling local] is a huge blessing, our old business was selling everything to the packing houses, we had no idea where it was going to”, Nick explains. San Gabriel Ranch proudly grows produce free from pesticides and harmful chemicals. According to Nick, when you and your family live and work on a farm, you’re not inclined to spray poison on it! This is part of the reason that Per decided to make San Gabriel Ranch a USDA certified organic farm decades ago.
“If we can keep farming, we’ll keep farming,” Nick says with determination.
His biggest challenge isn’t loving the hard work inherent in being a farmer or being a responsible steward of the land. Rather it’s trying to make prudent business decisions in an increasingly challenging and rapidly changing economic environment. Describing the current business landscape for farmers, Nick says: “The future is not too bright for farming in general in my opinion. It’s getting tougher and tougher every year. Our costs go up every year (equipment, farm supplies, labor) and prices just aren’t keeping track. Also, all the producers like us are getting squeezed from every direction. Giant retailers like Whole Foods (now owned by Amazon) and WalMart want ever-lower prices on their organic produce, which ultimately comes back to us. Also, there are more certified organic farms competing for the same market space. Farmers really have to adapt to find a ‘sweet spot,’ and nothing comes easy.”
We’re proud to buy from food growers with the integrity and determination of Nick and San Gabriel Ranch. So how can we support food growers and farmers who face economic uncertainty in the marketplace? We think a good start is by understanding where your food comes from, how it is grown, and making sure your money is spent supporting local businesses who grow food ethically and sustainably. We’re happy to help support the Stridsberg family in their passion for growing healthy, well-cared for food for our communities!