Less than two weeks after Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken
Yeager announced a new program to provide farm-fresh produce for
county workers, many South County growers want to know why local
growers were left high and dry.
Less than two weeks after Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager announced a new program to provide farm-fresh produce for county workers, many South County growers want to know why local growers were left high and dry.
Shannon Tully of Morgan Hill-based TIMptations, which offers a produce delivery service, said she hoped to set up a similar service with the county when she learned that Salinas-based J&P Organic had been appointed for the task.
“Oh my goodness, I thought I was going to have a heart attack,” said Tully, who oversees sales and marketing for TIMptations.
Yeager’s new “community supported agriculture” program also surprised Supervisor Don Gage, South County’s representative.
Gage said he didn’t hear about the program until Yeager hosted a July 20 press conference at the county’s San Jose headquarters. Gage said he would have notified South County growers about the program if he had known about it.
“(Yeager) should have at least contacted me,” Gage said. “I didn’t even know he was doing this.”
Jennifer Williams knew the county was considering it and met with Yeager about starting such a program in March after he suggested the idea in his State of the County address in January. The executive director of the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau said she told him at the time that the farm bureau could work with the county to help start the program, but she never heard back.
Yeager said he left the details of the program up to county staff.
“I pushed for this program very hard, but I wasn’t involved in any of the details,” he said.
Yeager said the county was looking for a program that would make on-site deliveries and would provide flexibility for staff so they would not have to subscribe for the service months in advance.
Yeager said he asked county staff why they chose a Salinas vendor and was told that no one else met the county criteria.
Sean Mullen, senior management analyst for the county’s risk management department, ultimately was charged with selecting the company for the program.
Mullen, who assists with many of the county’s wellness projects, said he perused various websites on community-supported agriculture as well as the county farm bureau’s site before selecting J&P Organics.
Though he was not aware of TIMptations, he said online searches revealed Los Altos Hills-based Hidden Villa and Sunnyvale-based Full Circle Farm provided produce boxes, but those companies do not offer a delivery service to businesses and they require a multiple-month subscription, so Mullen said they did not fit the county’s criteria.
TIMptations produce manager Brent Bonino, whose family runs LJB Farms in Gilroy, said he understands why some people do not know about the new 5-week-old company, but would have preferred the county turn to local businesses that support the county with tax dollars.
“It is a little frustrating to be involved in a county that goes outside the county to solicit business,” Bonino said.
Though J&P Organics is licensed to sell its products at the county building for close to a year, Mullen said he would look into working with other companies as the program expands.
“We’re really just sort of kickstarting this thing,” Mullen said.
Other South County residents, such as Morgan Hill resident Emily Bettencourt, were a bit more pointed in their comments.
“It was just an interesting article last Friday and how Ken Yeager was making such a big deal that poor county workers finally have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and I thought, ‘Well do they live in inner-city Oakland or what?’ ”
Bettencourt, who works for Gilroy mushroom company Del Fresh Produce, forwarded the newspaper article to Williams at the farm bureau. Bettencourt felt it was important that people not forget that agriculture still exists in Santa Clara County.
Companies such as TIMptations and J&P Organics, known as community supported agriculture organizations or CSAs, have become increasingly popular, Williams said.
Yeager said the county would be open to hear from other CSAs, as it may consider using more of those vendors as it expands, Yeager said.
“It’s really just the beginning, it isn’t the end,” he said.
Though Williams was disappointed the county did not choose a local vendor, she was happy to see a program in place.
“It’s a great idea,” Williams said. “I love the thought of county employees being able to join the rest of us in getting fresh produce.”
Under J&P Organics’ program, county employees can order boxes for $23 – or $30 if fresh eggs are included. Each box contains 12 to 14 certified organic bunches of fruits and vegetables.
TIMptations has found success during its first few weeks in business, Tully said.
The company, started by Tim Chiala and Ian Teresi of Morgan Hill’s George Chiala Farms, also offers produce from Andy’s Orchard in Morgan Hill, San Martin-based LJB Farms and often from Miramonte Farms of San Juan Bautista.
TIMptations already has 100 subscribers, and it is making deliveries to Caritas Business Services in Redwood City, working through a third party to provide produce for San Jose semiconductor firm Eight by Eight and is continuing talks with other businesses, Tully said.
In addition, the produce box service makes deliveries in several locations throughout the county, including Wednesday drop-offs at the George Chiala Farms Fruit Stand on Masten Avenue in Gilroy and People & Planet in Morgan Hill. Subscribers either can receive a box every two weeks for $48 or once a week for a monthly fee of $96.
Tim Chiala said his company only offers biweekly and monthly services to ensure financial viability and to ensure his company can showcase the variety of produce it has to offer.
The company would be interested in working with the county as well if it receives the opportunity, Chiala and Bonino said.
“We just want to have an opportunity to compete, so people can get stuff from our own county,” Bonino said.
