David shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Cerca Cultivation is a Southern California–based urban farm and Benefit Corporation on a mission to help more people grow their own food closer to where they live, learn, work, and eat. We provide local edible garden service to homes, schools, offices and restaurants. And we specialize in growing and shipping live vegetable, herb, leafy greens and flower seedlings (often called starts, transplants, or plugs) for both soil and hydroponic gardens. Our seedlings arrive ready to plant, making gardening accessible to everyone, whether you’re growing in a backyard, balcony, rooftop, office, community garden, or university.
Our name, Cerca, means “close” or “near” in Spanish. It represents our belief that the future of food is local, sustainable, and connected. We grow everything with care in Redondo Beach, using eco-friendly methods, reusable and recyclable packaging, and efficient shipping designed to minimize waste. What makes us unique is our focus on connection; connecting people to where their food comes from, connecting communities through gardening, and connecting modern sustainability practices with traditional values of stewardship and sharing.
We grow a variety of edible seasonal seedlings and we donate extra seedlings to schools, nonprofits, and underserved communities, ensuring that no plant, and no opportunity to grow, goes to waste.
Cerca Cultivation is not just about selling plants; it’s about growing a movement. We want to meet urban farmers where they are at. So we’re currently expanding our products and launching a Seedling Starter Kit for home growers, and developing educational programs that make regenerative growing more accessible. Whether someone is starting a home garden, a classroom greenhouse, or a community project, we want to make it easy and joyful to grow food that’s both good for you and good for the planet.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Ten years ago, I became deeply curious about where my food actually came from; who grew it, how it was produced, and what impact that process had on both people and the planet. The more I learned, the more I realized how disconnected most of us have become from our food system. Labels can be misleading, supply chains are complex, and it’s surprisingly difficult to know how something as simple as a head of lettuce makes its way to your plate.
That realization completely changed my perspective. I started small by growing herbs and vegetables on my patio and quickly discovered how empowering and grounding it felt to grow my own food. It wasn’t just about gardening; it was about reconnecting with nature, understanding sustainability firsthand, and taking back a bit of control over what I eat.
That experience became the seed for what would eventually grow into Cerca Cultivation, our urban farm and sustainable seedling company. It taught me that food can be a powerful connector; between people, between communities, and between ourselves and the environment. And it continues to shape our mission: to make it easier for more people to experience that same connection through growing their own food.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I’d tell my younger self: Don’t let fear of failure stop you from trying something new. When I was a kid I hesitated to take risks because I didn’t want to make mistakes. But as I’ve grown, both personally and as a business owner, I’ve realized that growth only happens when we’re willing to step outside our comfort zone.
At Cerca Cultivation, that mindset has become a core part of how we operate. When we have an idea for a new product, like our Seedling Starter Kit or a new seedling bundle like our Mystery Bundle, we don’t wait until it’s “perfect.” Instead, we launch it as a minimum viable product (MVP), gather feedback from our customers and team, and iterate continuously. Every experiment, even the ones that don’t go exactly as planned, helps us learn, improve, and move closer to our mission of helping more people grow their own food.
If I could go back, I’d remind my younger self that perfection isn’t the goal…progress is. Each step, each test, and even each failure is part of the journey toward building something meaningful.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What will you regret not doing?
If I ever have regrets, it would be not doing everything I can to make growing food more accessible to everyone. I believe we’re at a turning point in how we think about food…where it comes from, how it’s grown, and who has access to it. Through Cerca Cultivation, we’re working to bring urban farming and sustainable gardening closer to everyday life, from schools and community gardens to balconies and backyards.
I’d regret not pushing that mission as far as it can go; not reaching more families, teachers, and young people who could discover how rewarding it is to grow their own food. I’d regret not helping shift the narrative from passive consumption to active participation in the food system.
More than anything, I want to look back knowing I used my time and energy to help create a more local, resilient, and connected food future. If we can inspire more people to grow something, even one plant, that’s how real change begins.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cercacultivation.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cerca_cultivation/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cercacultivation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cerca-Cultivation-105855245292778
