Valley Fabrication

What Valley Fabrication does

Valley Fabrication Inc. is a privately held, vertically integrated custom manufacturer of harvesting equipment for the fresh vegetable and fruit industry, founded approximately 1983 and headquartered in a single facility at 1056 Pellet Avenue, Salinas, California. The company designs and builds crop-specific machines across multiple product lines including leaf cutters (Leaf Cutter 8000, LC4, SLS3000), transfer decks (Head Lettuce Model 6, Lettuce Hearts Model 8), shuttles (10 and 12 pallet), T-Belt harvesters for cilantro, cauliflower, and kale, Brussels Sprouts harvesters (4.0 and 6.0), the electric Helios 5 strawberry cart, and bulk loading dragons. Core technology rests on in-house engineering using SolidWorks 2024, AutoCAD, and Plus 1 programming, with proprietary design elements such as a custom 30,000 lb undercarriage, four-wheel steering with automatic centering, dual ground roller adjustment, and stainless steel construction for food contact surfaces.

The company operates with 11–50 employees and full in-house capabilities spanning a fabrication shop, CNC machine shop, a steel room holding over 350,000 lbs of inventory, a 500 sq ft paint booth, a parts department stocking premium components (Cummins, Parker, Sauer Danfoss, Dana, OMSI), and an engineering department. It generates revenue primarily through one-off custom hardware sales and a recurring parts and service operation, including welding, fabrication, machining, and paint/body work for harvesters, trucks, trailers, and other equipment. All sales are direct and quote-based via phone (831-757-5151) or in-person visits, with no public pricing, no online commerce, and no dealer or distribution network.

Valley Fabrication's go-to-market is exclusively direct sales to fresh produce growers in and around the Salinas Valley, supplemented by general fabrication services to contractors and individuals in Monterey County. Marketing relies on the company website, industry reputation built over 35+ years, and direct customer inquiries. The firm is founder- or family-owned with no external investment, no parent company, and no public listing. It maintains active hiring across production and service roles, indicating ongoing capacity buildout aligned with a steadily expanding product portfolio.

Name

Valley Fabrication

Legal name

Valley Fabrication Inc.

Website

https://valleyfabrication.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Valley Fabrication is a Salinas, California-based custom manufacturer of crop-specific harvesting equipment (leaf cutters, lettuce harvesters, Brussels sprouts harvesters, shuttles, and electric strawberry carts) for fresh vegetable and fruit growers, primarily in the Salinas Valley, with in-house fabrication, machining, parts, and paint services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Salinas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Harvesting Equipment Sales: Design and manufacture of custom harvesting machines for the vegetable and fruit industry. Machines include leaf cutters, transfer decks, shuttles, electric carts, and specialty equipment for Brussels sprouts and other vegetables. Sales are primarily one-time equipment sales with potential for repeat orders from agricultural operations.
2. Parts Sales: Replacement parts for custom harvesting equipment as well as truck, trailer, and other agriculture parts. Parts department stocks components from major brands including Sauer Danfoss, Murphy, Bertolini, Cummins, Dana, Omsi, Donaldson, and Parker. Parts are sold individually with no subscription required.
3. Welding, Fabrication, and Machining Services: In-house repairs and fabrication services for harvesters, trucks, trailers, and other equipment. Services include welding, machining, and general fabrication jobs for Salinas Valley and beyond.
4. Paint and Body Work Services: Paint department specializes in body work including harvester painting, classic car body jobs, and heavy equipment repairs. Services performed in a 500 square-foot paint booth.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Valley Fabrication designs and manufactures custom harvesting machines for the fresh vegetable and fruit industry, including leaf cutters, transfer decks, shuttles, Brussels sprouts harvesters, electric strawberry carts, bulk loaders, and tractor-towed T-Belt harvesters. The company also sells replacement parts for its equipment and major brand components, and provides in-house repair, welding, fabrication, machining, and paint/body services at its Salinas Valley facility.

Product overview

Valley Fabrication is a custom fabrication shop that designs and manufactures specialized harvesting machines for the fresh vegetable and fruit industry. Their product portfolio consists of multiple distinct harvesting equipment lines: Leaf Cutters (Leaf Cutter 8000, Leaf Cutter 4, Leaf Cutter SLS3000, and retired Leaf Cutter 3 LC3 and Leaf Cutter 5 LC5 models) for leaf and lettuce crops; Transfer Decks (Head Lettuce Model 6 and Lettuce Hearts Model 8) for head lettuce harvesting; Shuttles (10 Pallet and 12 Pallet models) for field transport; T-Belt machines including Cilantro Bunch Transfer, T-Belt Gooseneck Cauliflower, and T-Belt Kale Harvester; Electric Helios 5 Strawberry Cart for strawberry harvesting; Bulk Dragon for bulk loading; Brussels Sprouts Harvesters (4.0 and 6.0); and 3 Point Harvesting systems. The company also provides in-house repair, welding, fabrication, and machining services to serve the agriculture community. All equipment is designed and built at their Salinas Valley facility with capabilities including an in-house machine shop, paint department, steel room, and parts department.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leaf Cutter 8000 High-capacity leaf cutter harvester designed for fresh produce growers needing large-scale leaf crop harvesting with tracked field mobility. Features 16-inch Goodyear rubber tracks on a Valley Fabrication undercarriage, dual sort conveyors, and a Cummins QSF3.8 Tier 4 Final 130 hp engine.
• Leaf Cutter 4 Mid-size leaf cutter harvester for fresh produce growers, built on 12-inch Valley Fabrication tracks with a rocking beam, stainless steel construction, and dual sort conveyor system supporting both bulk and tote modes.
• Leaf Cutter SLS3000 Side-load leaf cutter harvester with stainless steel construction, four-wheel steering, a QSF3.8 Cummins Tier 4 Final 130 hp engine, and a side-load elevator for bin loading.
• Brussels Sprouts 4.0 Harvester Custom Brussels sprouts harvesting machine integrating Tumoba stock stripper units onto a Valley Fabrication harvester with a mild steel frame and stainless steel food-contact areas.
• Brussels Sprouts 6.0 Harvester Higher-capacity Brussels sprouts harvester designed for 12 double electric stripper heads, with Goodyear tracks, a Cummins engine, and LED lighting for night harvesting.
• Head Lettuce Model 6 (6HL) Head lettuce harvester with stainless steel wings in 14- or 16-bed configurations, a Cummins Tier 4 Final engine, two OMSI drive steer axles, and a 10-pallet chain transfer deck.
• Lettuce Hearts Model 8 (8HL) Lettuce hearts harvester with a Cummins QSF 2.8 64 hp engine, 12-pallet chain transfer deck, stainless wing construction, and a 170-gallon stainless steel water tank.
• Cilantro Bunch Transfer (CBT) Cilantro transfer machine with steel frame and stainless steel wings, conveyors, and packing structure, covering 9 to 15 eighty-inch beds via a 16-inch wing conveyor.
• Shuttle 10 Pallet (W10S) 10-pallet field shuttle with a Cummins 3.8 QSF Tier 4 Final engine, OMSI axle drivetrain, folding headboard, and a secondary control station for transfer functions.
• Shuttle 12 Pallet (W12S) 12-pallet shuttle with two 200-gallon saddle tanks, a 150+ gpm hydraulically driven water pump, OMSI axles, and folding headboard for in-field produce transport.
• T-Belt Gooseneck Cauliflower Harvester Tractor-towed cauliflower harvester with telescoping stainless wings covering 19 forty-inch beds, 4 packing stations, and a pressure-compensated pump powered by tractor PTO.
• T-Belt Kale Harvester Kale harvesting machine adapted from the Cilantro Bunch Transfer design, with full transfer deck, cross conveyor for bulk packing totes, and coverage of 13 eighty-inch beds.
• Bulk Dragon Bulk loading dragon with stainless steel construction, adjustable axles for switching bed widths, 36-inch wide belt, and an elevator for bulk loading into trailers.
• Electric Helios 5 Strawberry Cart Electric-powered strawberry harvesting cart with stainless steel chassis, aluminum wings, tricycle design, solar panels, four 6 VDC deep-cycle batteries, and a 1,500 lb pallet forklift assembly.
• 3 Point Harvesting System Cost-effective 3-point harvesting system with box slides, set-up trays, box packing racks, stainless steel construction, and dual-direction main conveyor covering ten 40-inch beds.
• In-House Repairs and Fabrication Services In-house welding, machining, fabrication, repair, and paint/body services performed at the Salinas Valley facility for harvesters, trucks, trailers, and other customer equipment.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Oxbo International: Designs and builds specialty harvesters for vegetables, berries, and sweet corn; competes with Valley Fabrication in the fresh-produce harvester category with comparable self-propelled and tractor-pulled machines.
• Ploeger EPD: European-based manufacturer of self-propelled harvesters for vegetables (peas, beans, carrots, spinach) and other crops; comparable engineering scope and self-propelled harvester architecture to Valley Fabrication's equipment.
• Mechanical Transplanter Company: Builds specialty transplanting and harvesting equipment for vegetable producers, with overlapping customer base of commercial vegetable growers in North America.
• Ramsay Highlander: Manufactures harvest aids, conveyors, and field packing equipment specifically for the leafy-greens and vegetable industry — directly comparable to Valley Fabrication's harvesters, shuttles, and transfer decks.
• Wyma Solutions: Supplies post-harvest vegetable handling equipment including conveyors, bulk bins, washers, and sorting systems — overlapping with Valley Fabrication's transfer decks, shuttles, and bulk dragon loading equipment.

Broad incumbents

• CNH Industrial: Parent of Case IH and New Holland; broad-line agricultural and harvesting equipment manufacturer with global dealer networks that pressure niche specialty OEMs.
• John Deere: Global farm machinery incumbent with a broad portfolio of tractors and harvesting equipment; competes for the same grower capex dollars and could move deeper into specialty crop harvesting.
• Kubota: Major manufacturer of tractors, hay tools, and specialty agricultural equipment; overlaps with Valley Fabrication's tractor-towed and self-propelled harvesting platforms through its compact and specialty machinery lines.

Emerging players

• Harvest CROO Robotics: Develops automated strawberry-picking robots; directly competes in the strawberry harvesting niche where Valley Fabrication's Electric Helios 5 Strawberry Cart operates, representing a robotic substitute for traditional mechanical carts.

Regional players

• Ratto Bros. Farms: Long-established Salinas Valley grower and operator of custom harvesting operations; a peer-like Salinas-based counterpart that both uses and influences harvesting-equipment design for fresh vegetables in the same regional ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Valley Fabrication