CASTROVILLE, CA - My end-of-the-year preparation wouldn’t feel the same without checking in on the many growers across California transitioning their operations down south. For Ocean Mist® Farms, this time of year reflects the supplier’s ability to deliver key categories to the market year-round.

“As we make our annual pilgrimage down south to Coachella, California, for our winter growing season, we make a couple of stops along the way,” Lori Bigras, Communications Manager, shared with me. “When the nights get longer and colder up in Castroville and the Salinas Valley, we make a couple stops en route to ensure we’re able to honor our commitment of year-round availability of our vast product line.”

In a recent blog post, the grower noted the majority of its winter growing season takes place on almost 6,500 acres in the Coachella Valley. Since 1988, Ocean Mist Farms has cultivated its vegetables in this region.

“In Oxnard, we harvest artichokes, Brussels sprouts, celery, Iceberg, and Romaine lettuces between August and December. Starting in the fall, we harvest Iceberg and Napa and red cabbage from Yuma, Arizona. When we’re in Coachella in late fall, we harvest artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green cabbage, celery, Iceberg, and Romaine there through late spring,” Lori added.

Weather conditions have been favorable and the quality of all the company’s commodities is looking good during transition and are now being harvested from Coachella. Lori was also happy to report that Ocean Mist Farms is well-positioned to meet holiday demand for all products at this time.

“We’re still in the ‘frost window’ until early-mid February, but barring any cold temperatures or severe frosts, our expectation is that our annual migration down south will continue on smoothly,” Lori concluded.

For a deeper dive into the company’s transition-time prep, check out the blog post here.

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