LE GRAND, CA - Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of The Rose Bowl, Time Magazine, and the Lincoln Memorial, we have Live Oak Farms nearing its centennial year. The fourth-generation grower-packer-shipper out of California’s San Joaquin Valley is keeping a tight hold on the bell pepper space as it recently announced it will begin importing product from its farming operations in Mexico.

“The Giampaoli family has stayed in business and flourished largely because of incremental growth and taking calculated, but heavily weighed risks. They’ve built an excellent reputation by putting up a quality product and having the utmost integrity along the way,” commented Damon Barkdull, Vice President of Pepper Sales. “The decision to expand our operations into Mexico does not come lightly, but it was a must to continue Live Oak’s continuity to our customers in a global market.”

Starting in late November, Live Oak Farms will begin its Mexican import program to help complete a 52-week cycle of availability on some of its most important crops, green and red bell peppers.

For the vast majority of its history, Live Oak has focused mostly on its crops close to Le Grand, California, from July through October. Those crops included mature green round and Roma tomatoes along with chili and green, red, and yellow bell peppers. With Live Oak’s hire of Pete Aiello, Vice President of Pepper Programs, came the addition of programs in Coachella and Bakersfield to help extend that California window.

With the Sinaloa, Mexico, program, Live Oak now offers bell pepper coverage year-round. Green bells are expected to begin crossing in late November and red bell peppers as early as the second week of December into Nogales, Arizona. Live Oak expects the Mexico pepper program to carry the company into May for a smooth transition into its California crop.

“The message has been loud and clear from both our retail and foodservice customers, we need you to be in the game year-round. We’re excited to begin this next chapter in Live Oak’s history,” noted Barkdull before commenting on the grower’s plans to expand its portfolio. “Our customers have also been banging the drum that we need to diversify our portfolio of products. We have an excellent reputation when it comes to tomatoes and peppers, so the thought was we could expand the dry vegetable category and build on the momentum we have already created.”

In addition to bringing Mexican peppers to its customers, Live Oak will bring in both conventional and organic vegetables such as Italian squash, yellow squash, cucumbers, and an expanded array of chili peppers.

“This is uncharted water for Live Oak, but not for Pete and me. We have years of experience in Mexico and have aligned with some of the best growers in Sinaloa. This is just the beginning, and we expect to build on this inaugural Mexico season in years to come,” Barkdull said.

Where will we see Live Oak Farms explore next? Stick with ANUK as we keep a pulse on the radar.

Live Oak Farms