Rooted in Family from the Field to the Table
Sam, Raph, and their mother. Photo credit: Bi-Rite Family of Businesses
When Sam Mogannam was 11 years-old, he made a trip to see his Palestinian grandmother in Bethlehem. This trip turned out to be a bit different for him from other visits. While Sam still had the familiar experiences in his grandmother’s garden and kitchen, he connected with food in an entirely new way when his grandmother enlisted his help to harvest one of the rabbits she raised. It was a pivotal experience for him, revealing how food weaves through all parts of life.
As a son of immigrants, Sam’s family settled in San Francisco in the 60s. In 1964, his father, Ned, and uncle, Jack, purchased Bi-Rite Market on 18th Street, which is where Sam spent the better part of his childhood after school and on weekends. His days were occupied with various jobs in the store and assisting with the produce buying. At the end of his shift, he’d head home to meals prepared by his mother who expressed her love through her cooking.
Eventually, Sam stepped away from the market to pursue his own path as a chef. His journey, which included cooking school in San Francisco and time abroad working in restaurants, ended with him launching his first restaurant in San Francisco, Rendezvous du Monde. While running the restaurant, the opportunity arose for Sam and his brother, Raph, to take over Bi-Rite Market, which their father sold when he retired nine years prior. After some debate, Sam approached the next iteration of the market with an innovative vision—to create a retail market that a chef would want, a focal point for the community, where lasting relationships were made and good food was celebrated.
In 1998, Bi-Rite re-launched with a new perspective—the grates were taken off the windows and the aisles were filled with highly curated products that reflected Bi-Rite’s mission of Creating Community Through Food. Over 20 years later, Bi-Rite continues to flourish. In addition to the 18th Street market, the Bi-Rite Family of Businesses now includes a second market location on Divisadero, Bi-Rite Cafe at Civic Center Plaza, Bi-Rite Creamery, Bi-Rite Catering, and Bi-Rite Farm, a three-acre sustainable farm in Sonoma. 18 Reasons, a nonprofit community cooking school that offers free cooking classes through their Cooking Matters programming, is also an important part of the Bi-Rite family that Sam co-founded in 2008.
At the heart of the Bi-Rite Family of Businesses is the Mogannam family’s legacy of sharing and teaching others about food. It permeates throughout all the businesses and is equally felt by the producers, guests, and neighbors that comprise the Bi-Rite community. One such farmer who knows and lives the ethos of Bi-Rite is Javier Zamora of JSM Organics.
Javier, standing next to his mother in the light blue shirt, with his family in Mexico. Photo credit: Javier Zamora
Javier Zamora’s relationship with Sam and Bi-Rite started in 2014 when he began delivering Sweet Ann and Albion Strawberries to the market. His produce was quickly embraced by the community, not only for its flavor but also for the meaningful story of family it conveyed.
Born and raised in Michoacan, Mexico, Javier’s childhood was defined by agriculture. His father was a farmworker and would frequently return from the fields with fruit like cantaloupe and pineapple. Javier was enthralled by the aroma that permeated the house and the sweet taste of the fruit. When he was old enough, he went to work picking strawberries in order to contribute to his family’s livelihood.
In his twenties, Javier immigrated to the U.S. and spent years working in construction, security, and restaurants. The pull of farming was strong; however, and eventually he decided to return to his roots in sustainable agriculture. In 2012, he started his two-acre farm, which has since expanded to over 100 acres of berries, mixed vegetables, and cut flowers in Monterey County. Javier’s products now reach retail stores, farmers markets, wholesalers, and even local schools across the Bay Area. Beyond his own business, he’s also impacting other beginning farmers by renting parcels of his land to graduates of the Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association’s programs.
With his reverence for both the land and people that support his operation, Javier’s approach to farming is reminiscent of how he grew up. His commitment to preserving his heritage is exactly what brought him to Bi-Rite. “Bi-Rite is the city’s gateway to our farm, providing a place for us to reach city customers,” he reflected.
Together, Sam and Javier merge their given and chosen families by encouraging people to celebrate the connection that exists in food. With daughters who love their product, Javier and Sam work to build a future that not only cares for them but also the larger communities in which they’re invested. They welcome more businesses like Bi-Rite and JSM Organics as they recognize that the expansion of their approaches and underlying values is how lasting change is achieved.
