Organic Cherry Farm Spotlight: Meet Jeff Ferrari of Ferrari Farms

When The FruitGuys called farmer Jeff Ferrari of Ferrari Farms to check in on his cherry crop, he was praying for dry weather. He told us that in the final days before picking, a drizzle can wreak havoc on an organic cherry farm. 

“The rain causes the cherries to crack,” Jeff explained. “This last weekend we did get some rain, but fortunately it stayed overcast the rest of the day. If it’s overcast and breezy after rain, the cherries have a chance to absorb the water. If you get that rain and the sun pops out right after, it splits the cherry.” 

Rained-on cherries can split down the sides, around the stem, or at their points where the water drips off. The cracks ruin the look of the cherry and make it spoil faster, so Jeff is “on pins and needles” when a storm is forecast. Those moments are always stressful, but as a third-generation farmer, Jeff has years of experience with farming’s risks—and its juicy rewards. 

Sustainable Farming Runs Deep at This Organic Cherry Farm

Jeff, his brother Greg, and his sister Gina all work the orchard with their parents, Wayne and Irene. They grow cherries, apples, apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, and pluots on 500 acres in Linden, California. Walnuts are their main crop, followed by wholesale apples and cherries that they offer to fruit sellers like The FruitGuys. They grow apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, and plutos exclusively for local farmers markets. 

Jeff’s grandfather, George Ferrari, started working the land back in 1963, and he used organic practices to please his customers before organic certification existed. The Ferraris were one of the first families in the Big Valley, California, area to earn that certification through California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). The client code CCOF uses to identify the farm is bv001. 

“We’ve been at [organic farming] long enough that this is what I know. It feels right,” Jeff said. “If you can grow things without relying on harmful chemicals and whatnot, it feels like that’s the right thing to do. That’s what I would want to eat and what I would want to feed to my daughter.”

Jeff felt the same way about installing solar panels on the farm to power its packing facility entirely with green energy. 

“We had the opportunity to put a portion of our outfit on solar, and I felt like that was the right thing to do,” he said. 

The Best California Cherries (According to a Farmer)

We look forward to Ferrari Farms’ plump spring cherries all winter long, and add them to our fruit delivery boxes as soon as we can. Jeff told us they typically start picking in early May, beginning with the Royal Tioga variety. Royal Hazel cherries come next, then Coral Champagnes, then Bings, and finally Lapins in mid-June. Each type of cherry has a unique look, flavor, and texture. 

“The Tioga is a little bigger than the Hazel, a little crunchier with a nice flavor to it. I really like the Hazel,” Jeff said, but noted that if he had to choose a favorite, he’d probably put the sweet, squat Coral Champagne in first place. 

“The Coral can hang forever. You can get a Coral off the tree and eat it at very different stages. Goodness gracious, get one that has been hanging on the tree [for a long time] or a Bing that has been hanging so long it’s black—those are the really good ones.”

Jeff chooses which varieties to grow based on what he likes to snack on, and flavor comes first. He just planted a new variety, Black Pearl, and can’t wait to taste it. 

“I really love the fruit. Quite honestly, if I weren’t growing it, I would be the one at the farmers market every weekend buying everyone’s fruit,” he said.  

Cherry season lasts just a month on the organic cherry farm, but it’s a month of good eating. Jeff said this year’s crop is coming along nicely. Some varieties may be challenging to pick, though, because their flowers bloomed at different times. This “straggled bloom” means that a single branch can hold cherries that are green, overripe, and everywhere in between. The farm’s workers will cycle through the orchard in waves, harvesting multiple times to get the best-tasting fruit. 

Why Choose Farming? Jeff’s Surprising Story

Organic farming is the Ferrari family business, but Jeff didn’t plan to be a part of it. 

“I grew up thinking I was going to do anything but farming. I was the book-smart one, but not so mechanical, and I did everything else first,” Jeff said. 

He earned a finance degree, went to law school, and passed the bar exam. But even though he was working toward becoming a lawyer, his heart never truly left farming. 

“I went out and walked in the orchard and decided, nope, this is what I want to do. … It was a surprise to my dad when I decided I wanted to come back and farm, but it’s the idea of working with family—how do you pass that up?” Jeff said. 

Today, he focuses on the business side of the farm (and choosing the cherry trees), while his brother Greg handles day-to-day farming operations. Their dad, 80-year-old Wayne, is “the big idea guy.” He’s semi-retired but still gets out on the tractor. He also dispenses farming wisdom to his kids, which is much needed in the risky farming business. 

What Keeps a Farmer Going When Times Get Tough

Jeff finds plenty of joy in helping run his family’s organic cherry farm, but he’s also open about its challenges. Rain, hail, and pests are just a few worries that farmers face. 

“It’s like anything else: there are good days, there are bad days, there are frustrations. The hard thing about farming is that so many things are out of your control. You can do everything right and still lose it in thirty minutes of hail that will shut you down for the year,” he said. “… People have this picture of organic farming where it’s all in balance and the birds are chirping. It’s not that—we’re always fighting something!”

Luckily, he has Wayne’s wisdom and experience to help him through. 

“Dad will always tell me, ‘It’s better to be lucky than good,’ and ‘You’re only as good as a farmer as the weather is to you,’” Jeff said with a chuckle. 

Supportive customers help, too, whether they buy Ferrari Farms’ fruit at a farmers market or through The FruitGuys. Jeff told us he’s grateful for buyers who choose his local, organic, family-farmed fruit over cheaper imports and industrial crops. 

“There’s a lot of lip service to ‘buy local, grow local.’ So it’s good that there are companies like The FruitGuys—it’s actually important to you guys,” he said. 

Where to Find Fresh Organic Cherries

You can find Jeff’s cherries in many of our Harvest and Season’s Best fruit mixes this spring while they last, especially on the West Coast. We’re proud to support his family business!