Meet the Farmers
Cruz Martinez Farm
Javier Cruz, Teodora Martinez & Melecio Cruz
Established In 2012
Location Madera, CA
Acreage 29
What they sell Mixed Vegetables
When they began working with KTA 2017
Advising Focus Market access strategy; land purchase; capital access; financial management
Support our ongoing advising work with Cruz Martinez Farm by giving to KTA.
Teodora and Melecio Cruz grew up farming in Oaxaca, Mexico, learning to tend the soil through ancestral practices passed down through generations. They journeyed to the United States to find work as farmworkers, eventually settling in California. As a child, Javier Cruz helped his parents in the fields in Oaxaca, and went on to pursue a career in technology while Teodora and Melecio started their own farm business, Cruz Martinez Farm. While their agricultural wisdom led to thriving production, the two experienced challenges in running the business-side of the operation. In 2016, Javier took an active role in the farm business – supporting his parents in building a livelihood and realizing their dream of small business ownership – and now leads the farm.
When Cruz Martinez Farm initially joined as a client, Teodora and Melecio were skeptical about KTA and the value of business advising, though Javier saw the need and pushed for the extra support. Through a trust-centered approach -- including spending time with the family and drawing on similar life experiences -- Javier’s parents have come to trust not only KTA but also his role leading their family business. As the operation has grown, more of Javier, Teodora, and Melecio’s family have been able to join the farm, working together to grow nutritious organic vegetables that provide for their community in numerous ways.
Learn more about Javier and Cruz Martinez Farm in KTA’s 10th Anniversary Film, “A Decade of Growing Community.”
Where to Find
No direct to consumer options available at this time; Cruz Martinez Farm sells exclusively through wholesale channels.
Advising Snapshot: 2023
Prior to 2020, Ecosystem Building Director David Mancera oriented his support of Cruz Martinez toward the financial side of the operation as the family had mainly focused on field production prior. David helped Javier, Teodora, and Melecio assess the financial health of the business via preparation of financial statements while also assisting with loan applications. These early efforts established a foundation on which the family began working towards their goal of purchasing farmland, a place where Javier’s parents could truly call home. However, the COVID-19 pandemic created unexpected uncertainty and financial challenges. Farm Business Advisor Angie Estrada-Bugarín helped Cruz Martinez Farm navigate these times, working with them to apply for instrumental funding that helped regain their confidence in purchasing land. Eventually, Javier was offered a rare opportunity to purchase the land they were already farming directly from the owner. With support from both David and Angie, Javier was able to purchase the 29 acres of farmland and refinance the land at very good terms, fulfilling his parents’ dream and building generational wealth for the family.
Alongside nurturing his vision for the farm, Javier shares his talents and expertise with KTA’s advisory board, the Kitchen Cabinet, in addition to the CDFA’s BIPOC Producer Advisory Committee, providing a voice for small farmers and ranchers in Northern California.
