Heritage: Lakeside Organic Gardens farms the soil and the soil grows the crops
When he emigrated from the Azores to California in the late 1800s, Joseph (Jo) Peixoto could not have known what an amazing relationship the generations following in his bloodline would have with the soil.
That evolution resulted in what is today Lakeside Organic Gardens, a totally organic farming operation recognized as producing some of the highest-quality organic produce in the United States.
Today, Jo’s grandson, Dick Peixoto, is the grower-owner of the Watsonville, CA-based company. It had its start in 1996, and is now the largest family-owned-and-operated solely organic vegetable grower and shipper in the United States, producing more than 45 organic commodities year round.
“My grandfather farmed conventionally,” explained Peixoto. “His youngest son, Francis, my father, spent his entire life around agriculture. He became a skilled commercial fertilizer and chemical supplier for a majority of farmers in the Pajaro Valley during his career.”
Francis married Sadie Howes in 1948. They had seven children, five boys and two girls. Richard (Dick) was their sixth child. He inherited his father’s and grandfather’s love of farming.
“While other kids were pursuing sports and other activities, I wanted to explore what made crops grow,” said Peixoto. “I spent every free minute tagging along with my dad to learn all I could about farming.”
Peixoto was also intuitive from a young age, and by his teenage years he was ready to venture into farming. He was in the eighth grade when he and a brother, Jim, started their first farming endeavor.
“Jim ultimately decided that tomatoes were no longer viable, so I offered to take over to see if I could harvest the crop,” Peixoto explained. “I hired a few neighborhood kids to pick and pack the tomatoes, and I marketed them. Little did I know it was the beginning of my lifelong career.”
In 1974-75, while still in high school, Peixoto rented 40 acres in three separate parcels in the Pajaro Valley and began producing beans, later adding cucumbers. By his senior year farming was his priority.
With the guidance of his agricultural education teachers at Watsonville High School, he started his own business — The Dick Peixoto Co. He set off producing tomatoes, pickling cucumbers, green beans and strawberries. He farmed and his mother, Sadie, handled the bookkeeping. By 1976 he was growing pickling cucumbers for Del Monte.
His business ventures expanded beyond growing. In 1984, Peixoto and another brother, Bob, started Pajaro Valley Laser Leveling, an agricultural land-leveling company.
In 1985, Peixoto bought an agricultural irrigation company, Pajaro Valley Irrigation, and hired his brother, Gary, to manage it. Together their knowledge helps provide Lakeside Organic Gardens and other local farmers with the most efficient irrigation supplies.
“By 1989 the companies had become too large and involved for my mother to manage the bookkeeping alone, so I asked my sister, Joanne Lynch, to join in running the office,” explained Peixoto.
“My career began with conventional farming, but I always had a natural passion for utilizing Mother Nature to assist me in the fields to preserve the riches of the soil,” he added.
The generational family farming story took its sharpest upward turn when Dick Peixoto decided that organic was the way to go.
“I gradually backed off from using conventional chemicals and instead implemented more natural processes like amending the soil, introducing beneficial insects and beneficial habitat,” he said. “After being told it couldn’t be done, I began converting the 55-acre ranch that my brother and I began farming when we were still in school.”
The site sits on a lake with an old water tower and a windmill next to the old farmhouse. It later served as inspiration for what is today “Lakeside Organic Gardens’” trademarked logo.
Peixoto ultimately converted more than 1,000 acres of conventional farmland in Santa Cruz County to organic. He is often heard saying, “We farm the soil and the soil will grow the crops.”
When he realized the produce tasted better and lasted longer, the family decided to make the commitment to farm 100 percent organically.Entire-Family 1
The Peixoto family gathers for a photo at Lakeside Organic Gardens in Watsonville, CA, in summer 2013.
In 1996, Lakeside Organic Gardens was certified by Quality Assurance International.
“Once I got the bug for organic farming, things took off,” said Peixoto. “Every year we increase our acreage and run trials with new vegetable varieties.”
By 2000, he knew that if he wanted to maintain year-round customers he would need to grow in a warmer climate during the winter. Peixoto’s relationship with Scott Howington in El Centro, Holtville, CA, evolved, and since then Howington has managed its southern operation.
In 2006, Peixoto’s nephew, Brian, joined the sales team and is now the sales manager. Peixoto’s three children have been involved in various aspects of the operation, along with cousins, nieces and nephews.
He and his daughter, Ashley Peixoto, co-own California Grill of the Pajaro Valley restaurant. Another daughter, Amanda, holds the official title of farmer’s daughter/administrative assistant for Lakeside Organic Gardens. His son, Rickey, is a tractor driver.
“We are very proud to have so many hard-working, dedicated people as part of our Lakeside family,” said Peixoto. “We have more than 250 employees, 10 of which are family members. Since 2011, all Lakeside employees are rewarded with our profit-sharing program, and all staff members and management receive bonuses at the end of the year.”
As in Watsonville, the company has increased its acreage in the El Centro region every year, and now has over 500 acres certified in the Imperial Valley.
“We also partnered with a grower in Oxnard to grow some commodities in the fall and spring as we transition from Northern California to Southern California,” explained Peixoto. “We now grow on approximately 120 acres of certified organic ground in Ventura County.”
The company now farms on over 2,000 acres, with 75 percent of its production in the Pajaro Valley spread across about 50 farms.
Peixoto personally walks his fields and cooler daily to guarantee its entire line organic vegetables are held to the highest quality and food-safety standards.
“Partnering with Lakeside Organic Gardens is like having your own local farm anywhere in the U.S.,” said Peixoto. “Our produce is sold nationwide and into western Canada to distributors, national chain grocers and processors. And we personally deliver to grocery stores and restaurants in our local route, which includes Bay Area cities.”
In the marketplace, Lakeside Organic Gardens is known for its consistent year-round quality and wide range of organic vegetable offerings.
“Our commitment to organic certification requires stringent adherence to government standards and to the organic integrity that is threaded throughout our organization,” Peixoto stressed. “Organic farming is not a sideline at Lakeside Organic Gardens. We are 100 percent committed to being organically growing in California 365 days a year, and we’re proud of it.”
He is equally proud that its farms and employees are California-based. He is committed to supporting local work forces and the U.S. economy, and to giving back to the community.
“We believe in investing locally to help improve the quality of life in our community and support resources for youth and their families to live a healthy and active lifestyle,” said Peixoto. “We help support many local charities, non-profit organizations, scholarship funds and memorial funds in an effort to make a difference.
“We also love to share the bounty of Lakeside Organic Gardens,” he continued. “Every year we donate upward of about 300,000 pounds of fresh organic produce to neighborhood festivals, local organizations, food banks and schools.”
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