“Growing in the Imperial Valley provides us with the benefits of producing consistently high quality and yields,” said Lindsey Roberts, marketing and communications director for Lakeside Organic Gardens in Watsonville, CA. “Demand always outweighs production.”

Roberts said that the great things about growing on the Central Coast of California are the climate and the soil, in addition to the obvious — being able to live and work in one of the most beautiful areas of the country. With the variations in nutrient-rich soil content throughout the valley — from sandy to heavy clay and everything in between — cannot be found elsewhere.

“The microclimate in this coastal valley surrounded by the mountains and the ocean are blessed with cool coastal weather that lettuces love, and near the mountains we have the warm weather that squash and bell peppers love,” said Roberts. “Our climate enables us to grow 40 varieties of vegetables, and many of them are produced year-round.”

Dick Peixoto, owner and founder of Lakeside Organic Gardens.Dick Peixoto is the owner, farmer and founder of Lakeside Organic Gardens. His sister, Joanne, is the company controller and his nephew, Brian, is the sales manager.

Peixoto’s children, Ashley, Amanda and Ricky, have also been involved in different aspects of the business over the years. Ashley and her father are also partner-owners in the California Grill of the Pajaro Valley restaurant, which Ashley also manages.

Roberts said 2013 was another successful year for Lakeside. “As a result we were able to give bonuses to every employee, from the irrigators to the administrative team.”

“We have always seen Lakeside Organic Gardens as a team, and when the team works together it is successful together,” added Dick Peixoto, who is also partners with his brother, Bob, in Pajaro Valley Laser Leveling, which does leveling and ground prep work for local farmers.

Bob’s son, Chris, Brian’s brother, works for the laser leveling business. Dick’s brother, Gary, manages Pajaro Valley Irrigation, an irrigation supply company that Dick owns. Gary’s son, Ryan, works in the shop for Lakeside.

Roberts said, “This is what you’d call a true family operation.”

Peixoto brought organic produce to the company in 1996 by successfully converting more than 1,000 acres to certified organic land. Today he farms over 2,000 organic acres. Today the company’s product line reads like a virtual dictionary of fresh produce, with commodities, root crops, specialty produce and winter squashes representing the primary categories.

The company also owns and operates the popular Lakeside Farmers Market, which is available for employees to bring produce home to their families. The market features leafy greens daily, and often boasts unique items like sweet baby broccoli, rainbow carrots, celery root, beets and rutabagas.

“We are currently increasing and expanding our staff to strengthen our operations team, our food-safety program and our inventory tracking program,” said Roberts. “We continuously work with our packaging suppliers to find recyclable packaging materials for a sustainable future.

Joanne Peixoto-Lynch noted, “As much as we’ve grown over the last few years we remain that small family-run business with values and commitment to our customers, our employees, our community and our planet.”

Roberts added that sustainability, the highest possible quality and top food-safety initiatives contribute to continuing growth and success.

“We strive every day to grow the best quality under the safest standards and ship fresh product out as quickly as we can to our customers, where consumers are waiting for it all across the U.S. and Canada,” said Roberts. “We love what we do and we think it shows.”