Esteban Martinez and his nine brothers and sisters pack and ship their produce near Fresno, CA. Esteban grew up as a farm hand who has now built a small holding family farming business that is independently owned and operated. His strawberries are renowned across up and down the west coast and each berry is hand-picked and field packed.
Martinez Farms has been in operation since 1999. At that time, they started with only three acres of strawberries and are now operating about 50 acres dedicated to the berry. All together, Martinez Farms grows 25 different types of fruits and vegetables, including zucchini, green beans, Bok Choy, broccoli, red cabbage, English peas and green cabbage to name a few. The crops are rotated through the fields each season to help keep the vitamins and nutrients in the rich soil.
Strawberry harvest starts about 7 a.m., but Esteban is up around 2 o’clock in the morning. He starts in the cooler to check on the berries, puts together the orders, loads the trucks, does some deliveries and then dives in to sales for the day. “I really like it – I love it. I really enjoy what I do.”