Lakeside Organic Gardens ‘firmly rooted’ for years to come
Lakeside Organic Gardens ‘firmly rooted’ for years to come
“We farm the soil and the soil grows the crop,” said Dick Peixoto, owner and sole grower of Lakeside Organic Gardens LLC in Watsonville, CA.
“When Dick brought organic produce to the market for the first time in 1996, it was like a dream come true,” said Lindsey Roberts, marketing communications director. “He successfully conquered the challenge of converting over 1,000 acres to certified organic land, which his peers called him crazy for trying. Today, he farms on over 2,000 acres and remains as intimately connected in all aspects of his family-owned-and-operated business.”
This summer Lakeside Organic Gardens purchased nearly 200 acres of farmland in its home community of the Pajaro Valley.
“One year prior, our community had a massive campaign to put up box stores like Costco and Walmart on top of some of our fertile farmland,” Roberts explained. “Dick was a big advocate against the ‘assault on our farmland.’ He said, ‘Once our land is covered in asphalt, there’s no going back.’ He and his team at Lakeside Organic Gardens worked hard to make it possible to buy that land and other parcels targeted for development. They committed to a three-year transition to convert and certify the land as organic.”
Lakeside Organic Gardens is a true family-owned-and-operated business. Peixoto’s sister, Joanne, is the company controller. His nephew, Brian, is the sales manager and his three children, Ashley, Amanda and Ricky, all play active roles in the business.
Roberts said Peixoto works hard to keep his company within arm’s reach so he can walk each field and cooler daily and report yields and quality to his sales team. He can make changes in production to better suit the needs of his customers in the nick of time.
“We are genuinely committed to organics and to our loyal customers,” she said. “Our management team strongly believes in the organic way of life and they do all they can to encourage a healthy lifestyle. Our popular Lakeside Farmers Market is available for employees to bring produce home to their families. The market features leafy greens daily and often unique items like sweet baby broccoli, rainbow carrots, celery root, beets and rutabagas.”
