Farming for the Future: Bautista Family Farms
Legacy of Bautista Family Farms in SLO County is passed down to new generation.
Story by Zoe Elliott Shaw
Photography by Blake Andrews
Early one morning in 1988, Apolonia and Manuel Bautista took their produce to the local farmers’ market for the first time. With two boxes of their best squash in tow, they set up for what they did not yet know would be the start of nearly 40 years of market sales.
When the squash sold out, they began selling cherry tomatoes, which also sold out. The Bautistas added to their rotating rainbow smorgasbord peas, green beans, carrots, golden beets, chard, salad mix, cucumbers, blackberries and herbs. Today, Bautista Family Farms produce is widely known around the county for the freshest, high quality and reasonably priced ingredients possible.
The local climate allows the Bautistas to grow and harvest a large range of produce year-round. They practice a core commitment of quality over quantity, harvesting in smaller batches, constantly rotating, turning and nourishing the soil with a variety of vegetables. “We grow it for you to enjoy it,” says Manuel. “I am grateful for the opportunity to farm.”
As Manuel and Apolonia’s family expanded, so did their land; 20 acres became 40 and their business grew, as a result. Over the past decade, the family farm has entered a new era. Manuel and Apolonia are now grandparents and have slowly handed over their operation, experience and management to their son, Jacinto, who has a young family of his own.
Sharing the same passion for growing as his father and possessing a similar calm demeanor, Jacinto finds pride and joy in everyday tasks. Surrounded by the green rolling hills, a warm breeze swirling, he looks out at the farm below the family home. Their dog Havana stands at his feet while his wife tends to their new baby and toddler in the house.
“You take it as it comes,” Jacinto says of the fast moving day-to-day. “I am always thinking about what’s next. Everything must be determined by quality.”
The Bautista crew has experienced the challenges of climate change, faced with property damage and loss during floods. The hoop houses originally used to protect the berries from rain are almost unnecessary due to the hotter extended seasons. “This area is growing, but if we were pushed deeper into the valley, there would be less that we could grow,” Jacinto explains.
They are often shouldered by the balmy warmth of Huasna Valley and experience long growing seasons. “Everything is fresh, handpicked and always changing. We never plant too much of anything. We’ll pick greens for a couple of weeks, and then it’s time for something else,” he says with a lighthearted shrug before explaining the short cycles of tender greens. “With each new crop, we bring nutrients back into the soil and eliminate the need to add synthetics to the land.”
Achieving this level of quality and output isn’t easy. But the family is committed to their legacy.
“We all know we will work harder if our families are taken care of, so that’s the focus,” Jacinto emphasizes. “We all know family comes first, then work. If you need to leave because your kid is sick at school, just go.”
Thanks to local customers like Brian and Harmony Collins, who established Ember restaurant in 2014, the Bautistas developed a strong local base and now only sell locally. Beyond the demand of the many restaurants carrying Bautista produce, they deliver to 11 markets per week from Cambria to Vandenberg to Santa Maria, plus the farm stand and Halcyon Farms in Arroyo Grande.
These skilled farmers grow, pick and deliver some of the most affordable and fresh produce around, and supply local school districts with their harvest for school meal programs. Jacinto aims to continue providing the community with quality produce, but beyond him and his commitment, he is concerned with big box stores taking over small business. “If we stop shopping locally, the small farms die,” he warns. “Vons will be fine, so will Costco, but not the local farms. We depend on it.”
