From a small 2.5-acre plot of land used for organic raspberries grew one of the largest employers in San Benito County: Earthbound Farm. With more than 12,000 employees and 200 associated farms, Earthbound dwarfs the next largest business in the area, Hazel Hawkins Medical Center, by 2,400 percent, according to California labor market information,
It spans more than 48,000 crop acres and works with farms around the world to produce more than 35 different crops.
However, according to Samantha Cabaluna, vice president of Marketing and Communications, when Earthbound first moved to San Juan Bautista in 1996, “They said, ‘We’ll never need all this space,’” but now the farm is bursting at the seams of its 300,000-square-foot facility off of the San Juan Highway.
“Earthbound Farm is the largest grower and shipper of organic produce in North America,” said Jeff Cook, CFO of Earthbound. “We’re the leader in food safety and organic integrity.”
The company is celebrating its 30th anniversary, having started in 1984 in the Carmel Valley after founders Drew and Myra Goodman moved from Manhattan.
“From the beginning, it was passion for producing healthier food and a healthier planet that drove our founders to start farming organically and keep growing this company,” Cook said. “That commitment underlies everything we do.”
Earthbound now ships all around the nation and can be found in markets everywhere, including Costco, Safeway and Nob Hill. The company also provides produce to large clients; they supply cilantro to the Chipotle Mexican Grill food chain.
Outside the United States there is a market for the produce as well.
“Canada is a good chunk of our business,” Cabaluna said. “We are even starting to see some sales in Asia.”
Organic practices and sustainability are at the core of Earthbound’s business. In addition to being certified organic according to standards set by the United States Department of Agriculture, the company shares detailed information on its website about what organic methods it has implemented.
One of the methods that Earthbound uses is crop rotation to “rest” the soil, as opposed to a monocropping regime. The website mentions the use of cover crops “such as Austrian field peas, bell beans and vetch” when crops are not being actively farmed, which are then tilled back into the earth to recycle the nitrogen and organic material.
Other methods include the use of natural compost to promote growth, hedges to attract pest controlling predators and pre-germinating weeds in order to till them back into the soil before the real crop is grown.
In 2006, Earthbound Farm officials decided to create all clamshell packaging out of recycled PET plastic, for sustainability purposes. The company produces all these containers in-house at their San Juan Bautista facility.
In 2008, the majority of the farms switched to bio-diesel in their farm equipment and its salad cartons were converted to post-consumer cardboard.
When the Goodmans came the Carmel Valley, they purchased a 2.5-acre plot of land to grow organic raspberries. According to their company history, their first major breakthrough came in 1986 when Earthbound became the first company “to successfully launch pre-washed salad packaged for retail sale.” The first blend was mixed baby greens, but after that came Baby Spinach Salad, Asian Salad Mix and Baby Romaine Salad. The baby leaf category of salad owes much of its popularity to the early work of Earthbound.
This long-standing commitment to organics is what separates Earthbound from other farms.
“It is the heritage,” Cabaluna said. “We’ve been doing this for 30 years. We are passionate about organic; we believe in its value.”
While there is much history behind the company, it has embraced current technology and has an active online presence on all the major social networking sites, such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. It has provided many resources in its download section, including Identification charts for at-home gardeners, lessons on the basics of organic farming and an “Ask Our Experts” contact page to answer questions.
“Earthbound Farm is deeply committed to our mission—to bring the benefits of organic food to as many people as possible and serve as catalyst for positive change—and we’re proud to be doing that from right here in San Benito County,” Cook said.
The organic practices of the Earthbound farms are certified by third parties. In addition to the practices the company implements on its own farms, many executives volunteer on committees and boards striving to push for positive changes in the organic world. Cabaluna herself stands on the Board of Directors of the Organic Trade Association. There are others too, such as John Foster, director of compliance, on the National Organics Standards Board and Will Daniels, chief food integrity officer, as an alternative on the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement.
The sustainable practices are reflected in the company’s choices to switch most containers to post-consumer products, but also in organic practices as well. By not using synthetic fertilizers, Earthbound claims the soil will perform better and longer than a traditional farm plot.
Just as important as their commitment to organics and sustainability, Earthbound has also committed to giving back to the San Benito community. The company started several scholarship funds for children of employees and contributed funds to academic scholarships at Anzar High School and UC Santa Cruz to students wanting to study environmental stewardship.
For the wider organic community, Earthbound has been a sponsor for Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Cooking for Solutions” fair, a celebration of sustainable foods, as well as the Chipotle Cultivate Festival in San Francisco.
Kacey Campos, Gilroy resident and daughter of Jeff Cook, said one of her favorite things about Earthbound is its farm stand that still operates on the original 2.5 acres in the Carmel Valley.
“My family enjoys going out to their Farm Stand in Carmel Valley in the fall to pick out organic and funky looking pumpkins,” she said. “They have activities for the kids, and we usually enjoy lunch from their kitchen there.”
Earthbound Farms is a world-class company right in the South County. While growing large enough to provide organic produce that is sold throughout the world, it still holds onto its local roots.
