Deardorff Family Farms

What Deardorff Family Farms does

Deardorff Family Farms is a fourth-generation, family-owned produce grower, packer, and shipper headquartered in Oxnard, California. The company produces and sells a focused portfolio of fresh vegetables — including celery, romaine, green leaf, red leaf, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, cilantro, parsley, kale, spinach, and green onions — across two distinct brands: Deardorff Organics (certified-organic line) and Sir William (conventional line). It also operates Fresh Picks, a direct-to-consumer organic produce program that pledges 1% of sales to local children's charities. Production is multi-regional, spanning Ventura County and Monterey County in California and Baja California in Mexico, which together enable year-round supply to retail grocery chains, foodservice operators, and wholesale distributors in the United States, Canada, and select global markets.

The underlying operation is fully integrated: the company controls seed-to-finished-product through its own growing, cooling, processing, and shipping activities at a 110,000 square foot LEED Certified facility in Oxnard. The technology stack is ag-tech rather than software: Hortau weather stations and soil moisture monitors relay real-time data to handheld field devices for irrigation management; drip irrigation, tractor-mounted flame weed-burning, and beneficial-insect IPM (ladybugs, lacewings, wasps) reduce chemical inputs; and EPI biodegradable bags plus returnable plastic containers (RPCs) reduce packaging waste. Peak-season headcount exceeds 300 workers, with tenured staff in the 10–40+ year range. Certifications include USDA Organic (audited by QAI), GFSI compliance (audited by Primuslabs), LGMA membership, and LEED.

The business model is B2B fresh produce sales: revenue is generated through wholesale, retail, and foodservice distribution of its own grown-and-packed product, supplemented by a smaller DTC program (Fresh Picks). Pricing is handled through direct sales contact rather than published rates, consistent with a B2B commodity-produce model where contracts and seasonal supply shape price. The company has not raised external funding, has no parent company, and remains wholly under family ownership, with fourth-generation co-operators Scott Deardorff (joined 1985) and Tom Deardorff II (joined 1999) leading operations.

Name

Deardorff Family Farms

Legal name

Deardorff Family Farms

Website

https://deardorfffamilyfarms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Deardorff Family Farms is a fourth-generation, family-owned grower, packer, and shipper of certified-organic and conventional fresh produce (celery, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, cilantro, green onions) serving retail, foodservice, and wholesale customers across the U.S., Canada, and global markets from its LEED Certified Oxnard, California facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Organic Produce

NAICS

Vegetable and Melon Farming (11121), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (42448)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh Herbs & Microgreens Wholesale (AFAIACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Natural, Organic & Health Foods Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAK), Farm-to-Consumer Produce Boxes / CSA Delivery (AFAIANAC), Allium Vegetable Farming (Onions, Garlic, Leeks, Shallots, Chives) (AFAGADAD)

Keywords

• Fresh organic produce
• Conventional vegetables
• Farm-to-market distribution
• Leafy greens grower
• Sustainable agriculture

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxnard

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fresh Produce Sales: The company grows, packs, and ships its own fresh produce (celery, lettuce, romaine, cilantro, broccoli, cauliflower, green onions, cabbage) under both Deardorff Organics and Sir William brands. Revenue is generated through wholesale, retail, and foodservice distribution throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Deardorff Family Farms is a fully integrated grower, packer, and shipper of fresh organic and conventional produce. The company produces celery, lettuce, romaine, cilantro, broccoli, cauliflower, green onions, cabbage, and other vegetables under the Deardorff Organics and Sir William brands, selling through wholesale, retail, and foodservice distribution channels throughout the U.S., Canada, and globally.

Product overview

Deardorff Family Farms is a fully integrated farming operation offering two distinct product lines: Deardorff Organics (certified organic produce including celery, cilantro, lettuce varieties, broccoli, cauliflower, and green onions) and Sir William (conventional produce including celery, romaine, red leaf, green leaf, and cabbage). The company operates as farmers, packers, and shippers with wholesale, retail, and food service distribution throughout the U.S. and Canada. They also offer a direct-to-consumer program called Fresh Picks with charitable giving components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Deardorff Organics Certified organic produce line shipped under the Deardorff Organics label. Includes celery, celery hearts, cilantro, romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, and green onions. Certified organic by Quality Assurance International (QAI) and compliant with USDA organic program standards.
• Sir William Conventional produce line named for the great-grandfather W.H. Deardorff. The company's oldest label known throughout the produce industry for consistent quality and value. Includes sustainably grown celery, romaine, red leaf, green leaf, and cabbage.
• Fresh Picks Direct-to-consumer organic produce program with a dedicated pledge of 1% to local children's charities on all sales.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 employees during peak seasons with some workers having 10, 20, 30, and 40+ years of tenure.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Western Growers FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to place school gardens in elementary schools across California and Arizona. This support has also led to more direct relationships with particular schools in the local area.
• United Fresh Foundation / Let's Move CampaigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to place salad bars in schools across the country. Participation in Tour De Fresh and other efforts to raise awareness and funds to promote childhood nutrition and provide kids better access to healthy food.
• Food Banks (FoodShare)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoutine donations of food, materials, and funding for local and state-wide food banks to address food insecurity in the community.
• SEEAG (Students for Eco Education and Agriculture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal outreach program to educate the general public about the importance of agriculture and healthy eating.
• Ventura County Agricultural AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in local agricultural association for community outreach and education about agriculture.
• Ventura County Farm BureauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in local farm bureau for community outreach and agricultural education.
• Quality Assurance International (QAI)coreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party certifier that audits Deardorff Family Farms' organic program to verify compliance with strict USDA organic guidelines.
• HortaucoreTechnology or IntegrationProvider of state-of-the-art weather stations and soil moisture monitoring technology used by Deardorff to relay real-time irrigation data to field devices for water-use efficiency.
• Ventura County Agricultural MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeed funding provided to launch the Ventura County Agricultural Museum, which educates children and the broader community about agriculture.
• Destino Hispanic Legacy FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDedicated funding for a scholarship fund for children of local farmworkers, managed in partnership with the Employee Development Department.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Earthbound Farm: Pioneer of the organic fresh produce category in the U.S., now part of Taylor Farms. Closely comparable on the organic produce side, with similar grower-packer-shipper model and retail/wholesale distribution.
• Tanimura & Antle: Family-owned, California-based, fully integrated vegetable grower/packer/shipper. Highly comparable in business model, channel mix (retail, foodservice, wholesale), and leafy-greens focus, and operates at larger scale.
• Ocean Mist Farms: California-based grower, packer, and shipper of artichokes and leafy greens including romaine, spinach, and cabbage. Comparable in geography (Coastal California), crop mix, and integrated grower-shipper model.
• Church Brothers Farms: California-based, vertically integrated grower-packer-shipper of leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, and celery with strong retail and foodservice relationships. Direct peer on crop mix, geography, and integrated operating model.
• Taylor Farms: One of the largest North American producers of fresh-cut salads and fresh produce, with integrated growing, processing, and distribution. Comparable channel mix and integrated operating model, though focused more on value-added packaged salads.
• Grimmway Farms: Largest carrot producer in the U.S. and parent of Cal-Organic Farms, a major organic vegetable grower. Directly comparable in organic vegetable production and integrated pack/ship operations at significantly larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Driscoll's: Largest berry supplier globally, privately held and family-controlled. Comparable as a privately held, family-controlled, integrated fresh produce grower-shipper with strong retail relationships, but a different product category (berries).
• Dole Food Company: Global produce giant with extensive fresh vegetable and salad operations, including organics. Comparable product mix and global distribution, but at much larger scale and with a much broader product portfolio.
• Fresh Express: A Chiquita subsidiary and the largest U.S. processor of fresh packaged salads. Overlaps with Deardorff in leafy greens sourcing and retail channel access but operates at vastly larger scale and is focused on packaged fresh-cut products.
• Bonduelle Group: Global leader in processed and fresh vegetables, including organic lines. Comparable in the fresh and organic vegetable space with a similar integrated grower-to-buyer model, but operating primarily in Europe and at a much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DFFarms1937
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DFFarms1937
• Facebookfacebook.com/DFFarms
• Instagraminstagram.com/dffarms
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deardorff-family-farms

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Deardorff Family Farms