Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Watson.
Samantha, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Sunrise Organic Farm was established in 2015 by three long-time advocates of organic agriculture. Jesus Salas, his son Chuy (Jesus A Salas), and Andrew Gibson. Jesus migrated to the States and began immersing himself in the local agriculture scene in Santa Barbara, where he met John Givens in the 70’s. Jesus and his brothers helped John build his empire quite literally from the ground up, amassing more than 200 acres of organic land to cultivate. Flash forward to 2015 on a 12-acre plot in Carpinteria, the birth of their own legacy, Sunrise Organic Farm. Since then, these three have fought tooth and nail to flourish in a time where small farms are truly struggling to stay afloat. To my knowledge, Sunrise Organic Farm is one of very few farms to even be established within the last decade. This is massively due to hyperinflation taking place in every single step of production. Sunrise had to get both motivated and innovative to combat the quickly rising costs of small farming in America, specifically in California. Andrew Gibson, being a USC business grad and an excellent visionary, was able to see these trends of inflation coming and reacted quickly. The key word here being reinvestment. Since the date of inception, these three have poured every dollar back into the farm in order to ensure growth and stability in the long run. They say you don’t become a farmer to amass wealth; you become a farmer simply because you love to farm. I couldn’t think of a more true statement when thinking of these three heroes. They love what they do, plain and simple, and are willing to do whatever it takes to see their dream come true. After starting on just a 12-acre plot in Carpinteria less than 10 years ago, we are humbly proud to say we now operate on almost 300 acres of certified organic land in beautiful Santa Barbara County, growing over 270 different commodities throughout the year. And the best part is, we’re just getting started!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
California is one of the most expensive states to do business in this country, but it is also the only place you can achieve growing year-round. Labor, land, water, seeds, materials, you name it! It never ends for a small farmer, especially one that does not own their land.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Sunrise Organic Farm?
We offer unique commodities such as specialty heirlooms, melons, etc. I think the ability to get these unique commodities in large quantities is also what sets us apart. You can pick them up at your local LA farmers market, but you also might come across our produce on a business trip to Oregon or at your favorite Erewhon. We supply both large and small without compromising the integrity of our operation. High-quality produce in high volume – usually those two don’t coexist.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
It takes a literal village to have a small farm. I believe that is what’s at the heart of what sets Sunrise apart: the willingness to sacrifice for the benefit of the person next to you. In a world that seeks constant affirmation and validation, we have instead kept our heads down and let our success do the talking. We have had countless numbers of neighbors, customers, wholesalers, farmers, and friends help us along the way, but without the tenacious will of Jesus, Chuy, and Andrew, we simply would not be here. In my opinion, they deserve all the credit.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sunriseorganicfarms.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunriseorganicfarm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sunriseorganicfarm/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ6NZnmg0rI&t=4s
