When Matt Hiltner graduated from Chatman University in Orange, CA, in May 2015, he had little thought about entering the produce industry. But people have changes of heart, especially at 22 years old.

“My bachelor’s degree was in marketing,” explained Hiltner. “Because I am passionate about music, I interned at a record label in Los Angeles, and I had hoped to stay in music. But living in the city is very expensive so I had to work part time to meet my expenses. After a while I realized that it was just too much pressure and I moved back to the Santa Maria area last December.”Matt Hiltner (center) of Babé Farms, a die-hard Atlanta Braves fan, with friends at a Giants-Braves game.

That’s when he learned that Ande Manos, director of marketing and business development for Santa Maria-based Babé Farms, was looking to hire someone to help with the company’s social media.

“It helps to have, as I did, some experience in social media,” said Hiltner. “But it’s also technology that people my age have grown up around. I applied and was hired at the beginning of the year as marketing and social media assistant.”

It wasn’t word-of-mouth or a classified ad that pointed Hiltner in the direction of Babé Farms. His father, Loren Hiltner, is the sales manager for the firm.

Elaborating on the role social media plays in industry, Hiltner said it’s a matter of not only knowing how to engage it, but how to engage it well.Matt Hiltner with Ande Manos, director of marketing and business development at Babé Farms, with whom he assists in marketing and social media functions.

“For social media to be successful today you have to look at all the intricacies and fine tune them so that they engage visitors and inspire them to return,” he said. “Experiencing it first hand is eye-opening. A good analogy is walking into a field of produce and truly watching the growing process from the beginning. I’m really inspired by what social media can do for our company and I look forward to making the best possible use of what is today a highly valuable marketing tool.”

Working for a company as unique as Babé Farms has been equally awe-inspiring for Hiltner. He said it has been a thrill learning about the wonderful, even crazy, unique, specialty produce items the company produces.

“We don’t grow run-of-the-mill produce, that’s for sure,” he emphasized. “It’s so cool that there are no boundaries with Babé Farms. They’ll try just about anything in an effort to bring the most unique and delicious items to the market. This feeds strongly into the potential for the company’s social media success. I don’t have to puff things up to make them look great — they already do.”Matt Hiltner with his father, Loren Hiltner, sales manager at Babé Farms and a 25-year veteran of the company.

Hiltner enjoys heavy metal music. He played guitar in high school and was part of a band that competed in his high school’s battle of the bands event.

“My favorite bands today are Fit for a King and The Story So Far,” he said. “I love going to live performances and concerts, but it’s a bit of a drive for me now that I’m quite a distance away from a major city. I still play guitar for fun.”

He is also a huge fan of the Atlanta Braves baseball team, acknowledging that he understands the irony of being dedicated to a sports team that is across the country from where he lives. But how it came to be is a special story.

Ted Turner, owner of Turner Broadcasting System, bought the Atlanta Braves in 1976 and began airing the Braves’ games so nearly every television set across the country could watch them.

“I grew up watching those games and became a devoted fan,” said Hiltner.

In the summer of 2013, Hiltner joined his grandfather, Richard Taylor, on a trip to Atlanta to watch a game between the Braves and Cincinnati Reds, Taylor’s favorite team.

“My sister, Lyndsey, found out about the game and bought the tickets for us,” he said. “My grandfather and I are very close, so it was a real treat to spend a couple of days together in Atlanta. The game was held on my birthday, August 5, and the Braves won.”

As a member of the young generation looking into the future of the produce industry, Hiltner said one of the things he believes will become a major topic is sustainability.

“It already is, of course, but I think it is going to be as important to the success of a company as is the quality of their produce and service,” he stressed. “Babé Farms is a perfect example of a forward-thinking company in sustainability. We do virtually anything that helps us to reduce our carbon footprint.”

And he’s proud of the fact that Babé Farms continually strives to communicate its message of being good stewards of the land as well as its ongoing efforts to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

For now, Hiltner is happy working in marketing and social media, but he would like to learn as much as possible about the produce industry in the future.

“I’m willing and eager to learn about every aspect of the business and to be able to take on more responsibilities,” he said. “I look forward to being able to help my colleagues when they have heavy workloads in any part of the business.

“My dad has been with Babé Farms for about 25 years, so it goes without saying that I have the best possible mentor,” he added.