Preservation Harvest

By Chris Mittelstaedt
June 7, 2010
Reading Time: 2 mins.

When the price of corn started going up in Exeter, California due to high demand for ethanol, Mr. Herrera, an owner of 22 acres of family farmland, nearly plowed under his 40-year-old plum orchard. The dollars and cents told him to sell or lease his land for fast-growing corn and throw out his family farming history rather than go through another year of low prices from the local packing shed.

Ronnie Gutierrez, a local farmer in the area and family friend of Mr. Herrera, came to The FruitGuys with an idea. What if we put together a new kind of company? A company dedicated to honest and sustainable principles in agriculture such as the preservation of small family farms, the stewardship of land through the use of organic farming methods, and helping farmers fund a growing season so that they weren’t betting the farm every year.

With these ideas in mind, FruitGuys COO Erik Muller and I started Preservation Harvest, a farming business where we partner with farmers to grow fruit. This allows Mr. Herrera, who is now retired, to keep his orchard; Ronnie can expand his farming business, and we can bring great plums to you. Your purchase helps ensure that this farm stays in fruit production and directly benefits the farmer through higher income. Thank you for your support and enjoy these sweet plums! Check our mixes by region at www.fruitguys.com/mix. Enjoy and be fruitful!