Babé Farms
Babé Farms is a family-owned, Santa Maria, California-based grower and shipper founded in 1986 that cultivates over 70 specialty vegetable varieties across baby lettuces, cruciferous, roots, and greens for wholesale distributors, foodservice operators, fine retailers, and Costco via its Coastal Valley Farms organic sub-brand.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersSanta Maria, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Babé Farms does
Babé Farms is a privately held, family-owned grower and shipper of specialty vegetables headquartered at 1485 N Blosser Rd, Santa Maria, California, founded in 1986 by Wilbur (Will) Souza together with founding partners Frank and Judy Lundberg and Greg and Cherrie Pedigo. The company pioneered the introduction of packaged European salad mixes, hand-selected specialty greens, and colorful baby vegetables to the United States and Canada, and currently produces over 70 varieties of gourmet vegetables across baby head lettuces, cruciferous, baby root vegetables, specialty greens, aromatics, and seasonal specialties, with nearly 600 customized pack options. Operations are vertically integrated through wholly owned subsidiary BFI Harvesting Inc., which provides year-round custom harvesting in the Santa Maria Valley, and a partner grower network in South Baja, Mexico used to maintain consistent supply and quality for climate-sensitive or seasonal crops.
The company sells B2B through wholesale produce distributors, the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market (with FOB pickup from its Santa Maria facility or delivery Sunday through Friday nights subject to a 50-case minimum), local produce distributors serving foodservice operators (chefs, restaurants, and catering), and fine retailers. Branded retail exposure is concentrated through the Coastal Valley Farms sub-brand, which is CCOF-certified organic and supplies Organic Spring Mix and Baby Spinach to most Southern California Costco locations. Technology and food-safety programs include Carbon Robotics Laser Weeder deployment, a PrimusGFS-audited food safety program with monthly third-party irrigation water testing, California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement participation, an Integrated Pest Management program, and approximately 100 acres of CCOF-certified organic production using compost, cover cropping, crop rotation, and drip irrigation. The current ownership group consists of original founder Judy Lundberg-Wafer (Chairman of the Board) and her son Jeff Lundberg (President/CEO since early 2014); Luis Ramirez serves as Food Safety Director.
Revenue is generated through quote-based B2B pricing on a pay-as-you-go basis, with no publicly disclosed financial information, no external investors, and no parent company. The firm markets through social media (Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube), the Crop Talk newsletter and blog, recipe videos, industry events including IFPA Foodservice, IFPA Global Expo, New York Produce Show, FPFC Harvest Forum, and Santa Barbara County Farm Day, and earned media in industry publications.
Babé Farms firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Babé Farms
- Legal name
- Babé Farms
- Website
- https://babefarms.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Babé Farms is a family-owned, Santa Maria, California-based grower and shipper founded in 1986 that cultivates over 70 specialty vegetable varieties across baby lettuces, cruciferous, roots, and greens for wholesale distributors, foodservice operators, fine retailers, and Costco via its Coastal Valley Farms organic sub-brand.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Babé Farms industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Vegetables
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Leafy Greens & Salad Processing Packhouses (Fresh-Cut) (AFAOAGAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Root & Tuber Vegetable Farming (Carrots, Beets, Radish, Turnip, Sweet Potato) (AFAGADAC)
Keywords
Where Babé Farms is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Maria
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Babé Farms business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Specialty Vegetable Sales: B2B sales of specialty vegetables including baby lettuces, gourmet greens, baby root vegetables, and seasonal specialties to distributors, wholesalers, retailers, and foodservice operators. Offers nearly 600 customized pack options.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | B2B wholesale pricing - quote-based |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Babé Farms product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Babé Farms is a family-owned grower and shipper of specialty vegetables based in Santa Maria, California. The company cultivates over 70 varieties of baby lettuces, gourmet greens, baby root vegetables, and seasonal specialties, offering nearly 600 customized pack options to wholesale distributors, fine retailers, foodservice operators, and retail channels. It operates a year-round production model under its own Babé Farms label and a certified-organic Coastal Valley Farms sub-brand.
Product overview
Babé Farms is a specialty vegetable company offering over 70 varieties of gourmet vegetables including baby head lettuce (Baby Butter Cakes, Jenjoi, Pink Rhône Little Gem), cruciferous, root vegetables, specialty greens, aromatics, and seasonal specialties. The company operates nearly 600 customized pack options for chefs and retailers. Coastal Valley Farms serves as the organic sub-brand certified by CCOF, offering organic spring mix, baby spinach, and bunched kales. BFI Harvesting provides custom harvesting services. The company ships year-round from Santa Maria, California with delivery to Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market and FOB pickup options.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Baby Head Lettuce Miniature head lettuce varieties including Baby Butter Cakes, Jenjoi, and Pink Rhône Little Gem lettuces, designed for fine dining and retail presentations.
- Cruciferous
- Roots
- Specialty Greens
- Seasonal Specialties
- Aromatics
- Coastal Valley Farms (Organic Sub-brand) Certified organic produce brand offering bunched kales, baby spinach, spring mix, and more. CCOF-certified organic and available at Southern California Costco locations.
- BFI Harvesting Inc.
Quantifiable outcome
- 70+ specialty vegetable varieties and nearly 600 customized pack options
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Babé Farms
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Babé Farms technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Babé Farms partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Carbon RoboticscoreCarbon Robotics Laser Weeder technology partnership for advanced weed control using laser technology. Featured in company video demonstrating laser weeding operations for maximum quality crop production.
- Veggie RescueminorPartnership with Veggie Rescue to fight food waste by redirecting edible produce that would otherwise go to waste to those in need.
- Southern California Costco LocationscoreCoastal Valley Farms Organic Spring Mix and Baby Spinach distributed through Costco retail locations across Southern California, representing a significant retail channel partnership.
- CCOFcoreCertified organic by CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers), the organic certification body for Coastal Valley Farms organic production.
- PrimusGFScoreIndependently audited under PrimusGFS standard for food safety certification, including IPM program certification and comprehensive food safety oversight.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Babé Farms competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Dole plc: Diversified global fresh-produce major with packaged salads, vegetables, and fresh fruit. Overlaps with Babé Farms on fresh-cut salad and vegetable packs at U.S. retail including club and grocery channels.
- Bonduelle: Global fresh and processed vegetable specialist that owns Ready Pac Foods in North America. Competes with Babé Farms in fresh-cut salads and bagged specialty vegetables across U.S. retail and foodservice.
- Fresh Express: Largest U.S. bagged-salad and fresh-cut vegetable brand, owned by Chiquita. Competes with Babé Farms' Coastal Valley Farms spring mix at the same retailers (including Costco) but at vastly greater scale across a national processing footprint.
- Grimmway Farms: California-headquartered grower of carrots, leafy greens, and other organic/specialty vegetables sold through retail and foodservice. Broad incumbent competitor to Babé in organic acreage and value-added vegetable packs.
Emerging players
- Organic Girl: Specialty organic greens and salad brand now under Taylor Farms. Comparable niche position to Babé's Coastal Valley Farms sub-brand with overlapping premium retail customer base.
Direct peers
- Tanimura & Antle: California-based, family-influenced grower-packer-shipper of specialty leafy greens, romaine, and value-added vegetables for foodservice and retail. Closest structural analog to Babé Farms in business model, customer mix (foodservice plus national retailers), and California-centric supply chain.
- Earthbound Farm: Organic salad greens, vegetables, and fresh-cut produce pioneer now operating as part of Taylor Farms. Comparable to Babé Farms in pioneering organic/specialty categories and serving retailers like Costco with spring mix, spinach, and baby greens.
- Taylor Farms: National fresh-cut salad, vegetable, and foodservice produce platform that owns Earthbound Farm and Organic Girl. Direct competitor to Babé Farms in fresh-cut leafy greens, retail bagged salads, and foodservice vegetable packs across the U.S. and Canada.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Babé Farms social profiles
Digital presenceBabé Farms compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Babé Farms financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Babé Farms leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Babé Farms subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Babé Farms funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Babé Farms M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Babé Farms
What does Babé Farms do?
Babé Farms is a family-owned grower and shipper of specialty vegetables based in Santa Maria, California. The company cultivates over 70 varieties of baby lettuces, gourmet greens, baby root vegetables, and seasonal specialties, offering nearly 600 customized pack options to wholesale distributors, fine retailers, foodservice operators, and retail channels. It operates a year-round production model under its own Babé Farms label and a certified-organic Coastal Valley Farms sub-brand.
Is Babé Farms a public or private company?
Babé Farms is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Babé Farms founded?
Babé Farms was founded in 1986. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Babé Farms based?
Babé Farms is headquartered in Santa Maria, United States, in the North America region.
How does Babé Farms make money?
One revenue line is on record: specialty Vegetable Sales.
Who are Babé Farms's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Dole plc, Bonduelle, Fresh Express and Grimmway Farms. Organic Girl is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Tanimura & Antle, Earthbound Farm and Taylor Farms.
Does Babé Farms have an API?
No public API is recorded for Babé Farms.
What industry is Babé Farms in?
Babé Farms's product category is Specialty Vegetables. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAOAGAI, Leafy Greens & Salad Processing Packhouses (Fresh-Cut), with a secondary code of AFAGADAC, Root & Tuber Vegetable Farming (Carrots, Beets, Radish, Turnip, Sweet Potato). Its SIC code is 100.