Meet Better Produce: A Family-Owned California Berry Farm

Better Produce is a family-owned berry farm in Santa Maria, California, that supplies The FruitGuys with delicious strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and more. According to Better Produce farmer Emiliano Cisneros Ruiz, the magic of the farm’s berries starts with its location.

Why Santa Maria Is the Perfect Spot to Farm

Santa Maria has a Mediterranean climate, which Emiliano said is ideal for growing strawberries.

“There are only a few places in the world you can grow strawberries. It has to be not too hot, not too cold—right in the middle,” he told The FruitGuys.

Strawberries are extremely sensitive to both temperature and moisture, so the weather and climate can make or break a strawberry farm. Better Produce sits on more than 1,000 acres of land right in the Goldilocks zone for California strawberries—so its team can grow them year-round, along with a few other fruits and vegetables.

See the farm in our video interview with Emiliano!

What Better Produce Grows: Organic Strawberries and More

Better Produce is best known for its incredibly flavorful strawberries, including varieties like super-sweet 3169s and punchy, acidic Albions. But the Cisneros family also grows blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. (These are sometimes called “bushberries,” which simply means that they grow on bushes.) To round things out, they produce chili peppers, zucchini, and yellow straightneck squash using sustainable farming practices.

Part of the 1,000-acre farm is also certified organic. That’s why it can produce both organic and conventional strawberries as well as all-organic bushberries. All of the farm’s organic berries are picked by hand and packed in compostable containers made with recycled materials.

The Story Behind the Farm

The story of Better Produce starts in a tiny town in Mexico.

“My dad [Juan] was born into [farming]. I would say it’s in his blood,” Emiliano said. “He was born and raised on a very small ranch in Jalisco, Mexico, and from there, he would help my grandpa farm dairy cows, corn, and a couple of other veggies. It was a small town [of 40 people] with very little economic opportunity for him to make a good living. He wanted to do more, and that’s why at 16 years old, he decided to come to the US.”

Juan moved from Mexico to Los Angeles. He worked there from 1982 to 1988, but he never lost his skill and passion for farming. When his uncles offered him a job growing strawberries with them in Santa Maria, he jumped at the chance. He started Better Produce a year later with just eight acres of strawberries.

Emiliano focuses on the business side of the farm, but he has also worked in the fields hand-picking strawberries just like his father once did. He has an enormous respect for the hard work of farming and told us, “I’m very grateful for all of our employees [who do that work today].”

What Makes Better Produce Special

Better Produce is truly a multi-generational family farm. Juan runs it with help from four of his kids: Emiliano, Kassandra, Emmanuel, and Rubén. Emiliano said that for him, working with his family is the best part of farming. The second-best part is feeding people.

“In a society, if you don’t have farmers, you don’t have food. It’s as simple as that, and that makes me proud,” he said.

Where to Buy Better Produce’s Fruit

The FruitGuys has partnered with Better Produce to deliver its fresh berries to offices and schools since 2017. Look for the Cisneros family’s fruit in our West Coast office fruit mixes and through our Farm-to-School Program during the spring and summer berry seasons!