How Family-Run California Strawberry Farms Bring Berries to Our Stores

What’s the formula for growing the perfect strawberry? It starts with a surplus of sunshine. From there, you add cool coastal breezes and acres and acres of nutrient-rich soil. It’s that enviable sun-kissed climate and rich natural environment that makes California a global leader when it comes to strawberry farming, producing an estimated two billion pounds of strawberries a year. 

California strawberries are a familiar sight in Canadian households, filling the consumer demand during the Canadian off-season. Thanks to California’s sunny climate, Canadians can enjoy nutritious and delicious strawberries all year long. 

But it’s not just Mother Nature’s favour that sets these berries apart. The way in which California strawberry farmers respect and preserve nature’s gifts throughout the process, from farm to table, makes all the difference, too. 

California strawberry farmers aren’t just leaders in organic strawberry farming; they’re pioneers in the widespread adoption of sustainable practices throughout the industry. From the implementation of much-needed water conservation methods to integrated pest management practices and cultivating workplaces that make space and opportunity for workers to develop skills, these farmers have chosen to grow their berries in harmony with environmental and socially responsible goals that support the health and well-being of their communities. 

Family-Run Farms Are Part of the California Strawberry Story 

It’s not just sustainable farming practices that make California strawberries a standout on grocery shelves around the world. It’s the people and the culture of farming, too. Most of California's 300 strawberry farms are family-run, and an estimated 25 per cent of farmers got their start working in the fields as harvesters.  

For California strawberry farmer Mayra Paniagua of Golden State Farms, farming is part of her family’s remarkable journey toward building a legacy in the United States. 

That history began in 1979, when her parents, Sylvia and Manuel, arrived in California after leaving their homes in Michoacan, Mexico. The pair met as harvesters in the strawberry fields and worked for decades to be able to start their own farm. In 1997, that hard work paid off and they opened Sylvia Farms, which ran for over a decade.

In 2014, the Paniaguas's eldest daughter, Mayra, used what she learned from a degree in business administration and accounting to open her own family-led strawberry farm, Golden State Farms in Santa Maria, California. 

Golden State Farms is a true family affair that employs all six of the Paniagua siblings and continues to rely on the sage advice of both Sylvia and Manuel. Like many California strawberry farms, it’s also making a positive impact in its community. In 2024, Mayra Paniagua was honoured with the Strawberry Industry Impact Award. 

Sustainable Practices Are Woven into Everything

California strawberry farmers have a strong commitment to reducing their ecological footprint and ensuring the health and viability of farmlands and surrounding communities over the long term. That means doing things like managing pests with eco-friendly integrated pest management and implementing drip irrigation systems designed to reduce water waste. 

Those practices go a long way toward preserving the integrity of the soil and water and protecting valuable pollinator populations.

Paniagua is one of the farmers at the forefront of adopting smarter, more sustainable farming practices. That means investing in such labour-intensive, old school techniques as hand-weeding to reduce herbicide use. It also means implementing mechanical innovations, like bug vacuums which offer non-chemical solutions to the day-to-day pest control challenges of farming.

Progressive Labour Practices Are Integral to Operations

California strawberry farmers employ approximately 50,000 people, and the industry holds itself to standards that respect fair pay and provide opportunity for workers. For starters, workers earn competitive wages, well above California’s minimum wage, and are paid overtime. Training and advancement programs are baked into the industry model, which may be why an estimated 50 per cent of farmers follow a similar path to that of the Paniagua family and begin as farm workers. 

As a result, California has the most minority-owned farms in the United States. Nearly two-thirds of California’s strawberry farmers are Latino, which makes the state’s strawberry farms a remarkable example of how a progressive work culture can create businesses that last generations. 

Every Berry Picked By Hand For Peak Freshness

California strawberry farmers’ commitment to quality extends beyond growing conditions. They’re careful to make sure that the way the strawberries are harvested means that the ripest and most delicious berries make it to consumers. To that end, each strawberry is hand-harvested to make sure that it's perfectly ripe before being packed and sent to market. This attention to detail is a waste-reducing measure, too, as strawberries don’t ripen after picking. 

Once harvested, California strawberries are carefully packed in the signature clamshell, which has been designed with sustainability in mind. These eco-conscious packages contain over 50 per cent recycled content, helping reduce waste and environmental impact.

To preserve the freshness, the berries are quickly cooled and loaded into refrigerated trucks. Speed is essential—farmers work diligently to minimize the time between harvest and delivery, ensuring strawberries reach grocery store shelves as swiftly as possible.

There’s More To the Strawberry Than You May Know

Beyond being a star ingredient in delicious desserts and morning smoothies, California strawberries are a healthy and flavourful addition to everyday sweet and savoury dishes. They're a great source of vitamin C: snacking on just eight strawberries a day fulfills 95 per cent of the recommended adult daily requirement, which supports immune function, wound healing and the absorption of iron, to name a few benefits. 

That’s not the only benefit of making room for California strawberries, however. Buying California berries also supports sustainable, socially responsible farming, safe jobs and family businesses.

In short, California strawberries have a lot going for them, and Canadians can enjoy their goodness all year long. 

For more information about California strawberries and farming practices, visit californiastrawberries.com.