Meet the Farmer
Los Pinos Organic
Jesús Calzadillas
Established In 2015
Location San Juan Bautista, CA
Acreage 10
What they sell Mixed organic vegetables
When they began working with KTA 2019
Advising focus Market access & strategy
Support our ongoing advising work with Los Pinos by giving to KTA.
Jesús Calzadillas began farming as a child, working alongside his father on their family farm growing corn, beans and squash. Jesús later migrated from Mexico to the US to work in the strawberry fields that blanket the Salinas Valley. It was there that a friend introduced him to the Farmer Education Program (PEPA) at the Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association (ALBA). Through PEPA, Jesús learned about both organic production and the business side of farming; it was an experience that opened his eyes to a future filled with new opportunities for him and his family. With this vision in mind, Jesús started Los Pinos Organic.
Today, Los Pinos sells primarily wholesale via Coke Farms while also providing produce to small local markets and bodegas in his community. These community ties are likewise reflected in his work with Kitchen Table Advisors. Jesús farms on land in San Juan Bautista where a number of other KTA client farmers are also based, working together to share knowledge and resources as they navigate many similar challenges.
Where to Find
Wholesale via Coke Farms
Occasionally available through Tera Farm (via Magaña Farm and Narci Organics)
Advising Snapshot: 2021
Many of the farmers KTA works with in the Salinas Valley experience barriers related to market access and, for the primarily wholesale farmers in the region, these challenges intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Farm business advisor Tania Zuñiga worked closely with Jesús around his market strategy, assessing opportunities to support not only Los Pinos but other farmers in the region who were also impacted. So when Tania worked with fellow KTA client farmers Bertha Magaña (Magaña Farm) and María Ana Reyes (Narci Organics) to launch their first-ever direct-to-consumer sales through Tera Farm, the women brought Jesús along with them. Bertha and María occasionally purchase produce from Los Pinos to supplement the products they offer in their boxes. They continue to meet as a cohort, with Tania providing resources and encouragement as they support each other in turn. Jesús reflects on the impact of Tania always being there when he has a question -- “no nos deja solos” he says.
