Explore Nishica Farm with Farmer Sheena Vaidyanathan

Last week, farmer Sheena Vaidyanathan ventured into her five-acre orchard in San Juan Bautista, California, to pick organic Pixie Crunch™ apples for The FruitGuys.

“They are exceptionally crisp, sweet, and juicy,” she told us. “Their small size is natural to the variety, which makes them perfect for snacking and lunchboxes.”

Those apples traveled from Nishica Farm to The FruitGuys’ San Francisco facility within 24 hours. From there, our team hand-packed them into boxes and delivered them to local offices. This week, employees across the Bay Area will get a chance to snack on Sheena’s apples and savor the flavor of California in late summer.

Those moments of celebrating local food are exactly why Sheena founded Nishica Farm.

The Story Behind Nishica Farm

In 2019, Sheena noticed that local farms were disappearing from the Bay Area to make way for businesses and housing. So she decided to do something about it by starting her own organic farm.

“We should be able to have access to food grown close to home, but that is only possible if farms can remain in production and find reliable markets. That is why keeping local agriculture alive is important to me,” she told The FruitGuys.

To choose her apple varieties, Sheena enlisted the help of Terence Welch, a certified arborist and professional orchardist with more than 45 years of experience growing and managing fruit trees.

“He chose them first for flavor but also for resistance to apple scab,” Sheena explained.

Sheena harvested her first apples in the fall of 2023. Today, Nishica Farm grows seven varieties of apples (Galarina, WineCrisp, Crimson® Topaz, Goldrush, Pixie Crunch™, Enterprise, and Sundance), plus four varieties of mandarins (Shasta Gold, Gold Nugget, Kishu, and Satsuma), Meyer lemons, persimmons, lavender, vegetables, and flowers. Sheena also sells starter plants to farmers and gardeners.

Why the Name “Nishica”?

Sheena named Nishica Farm after her mother, Nishi.

“I named the farm after her because she loves fruit and takes an active interest in everything happening here. … She also showed me, by example, the value of working hard, and farming is nothing but hard work!” Sheena told The FruitGuys.

She added “ca” at the end to stand for California, but it also creates another meaning.

“When spoken together, Nishica also sounds like Nishi ka, which means ‘Nishi’s’ in Hindi, the language I speak with my mother. So when someone asks whose farm it is, the answer is in the name: It is Nishi’s farm,” she said.

Certified Organic Apples, Citrus, and More

Nishica Farm is certified organic through California Certified Organic Farmers. That means Sheena and the farm’s operations manager, Victor Solorzano, follow strict rules around how they grow their produce.

For example, certified organic farmers do not use:

• Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
• Most synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers
• Arsenic, lead salts, or ash from manure burning

Because she chose disease-resistant apple varieties, Sheena also skips the organic sulfur sprays commonly used to prevent apple scab. Her approach lets Mother Nature do the work and produce delicious fresh fruit.

Farmer Sheena’s Favorite Fruit Varieties

Asking a farmer to choose a favorite fruit is a bit like asking a parent to choose a favorite child. But when we asked Sheena, she gave it a shot.

“If I had to choose, I would say Pixie Crunch™ and Goldrush for apples and Kishu and Shasta Gold among our mandarins,” she said. “I just love the distinctive flavor of each.”

Want a Taste? Try Organic Office Fruit Delivery

The FruitGuys sources fruit from small farms whenever possible for our organic fruit deliveries. So far, we’ve featured Nishica Farm’s Shasta Gold mandarins and Pixie Crunch™ apples in our mixes! To support Sheena’s small farm and others like it, check out our organic fruit box options for offices, homes, and more.