FIFTH CROW FARM

What FIFTH CROW FARM does

Fifth Crow Farm is a privately held, certified organic diversified farm in Pescadero, California, approximately halfway between San Francisco and Santa Cruz. The farm is co-owned by John Vars, Michael Irving, and Teresa Kurtak, who established operations on leased land after training at the CASFS apprenticeship program at UCSC and studying under apple expert Orin Martin. The farm operates across multiple product lines including organic vegetables, pasture-raised eggs from approximately 500 heritage-breed hens, 28+ varieties of heirloom apples and pears, 12+ varieties of heirloom dry beans grown across 6+ acres, and organic cut flowers.

The farm generates revenue through four primary channels: a 150+ member CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) subscription program running 27 weeks from mid-May through November with customizable shares via the Harvie platform; four weekly farmers' markets across the Bay Area from San Francisco (including Ferry Plaza and Grand Lake in Oakland) to San Mateo; wholesale supply relationships with approximately ten local restaurants and grocery retailers including Bi-Rite Markets, Range, Frances, and Cafe Borrone; and an online farmstand for direct-to-consumer ordering. CSA members can add partner products such as honey, grass-fed meat, and herbs through add-on partnerships with City Bees Honey, Markegard Family Grass-Fed, and Steadfast Herbs.

The farm holds dual organic certifications — USDA-accredited CCOF certification and the Real Organic Project add-on label achieved in April 2026 — along with Bee Friendly Farm certification. Distribution is regional and limited to the San Francisco Bay Area. The business model relies on recurring CSA subscriptions for baseline revenue predictability, supplemented by transactional farmers' market, wholesale, and online farmstand sales. No institutional investment, public listing, or revenue figures are disclosed.

Name

FIFTH CROW FARM

Legal name

Fifth Crow Farm

Website

https://fifthcrowfarm.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fifth Crow Farm is a certified organic diversified farm in Pescadero, California, selling vegetables, pasture-raised eggs, heirloom apples, dry beans, and cut flowers to Bay Area consumers via a 150+ member CSA, four weekly farmers' markets, restaurant wholesale accounts, and an online farmstand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Produce Farming

NAICS

Other Crop Farming (1119), Broilers and Other Meat Type Chicken Production (112320), Dry Pea and Bean Farming (111130)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Leafy Greens Farming (Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Arugula, Chard) (AFAGADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organic & Pasture-Raised Poultry & Egg Production (AFAEADAJ), Organic Row Crop Farming (Grains, Oilseeds, Pulses) (AFAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Organic produce
• CSA subscriptions
• Pasture-raised eggs
• Heirloom dry beans
• Specialty cut flowers

Headquarters

HQ city

Pescadero

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. CSA Subscriptions: Community Supported Agriculture program where customers invest in the farm by committing to weekly produce boxes for the season. 150+ member CSA running 27 weeks (mid-May through November). Shares are customizable through Harvie platform.
2. Farmers' Markets: Direct sales at four weekly farmers' markets across the Bay Area from San Francisco to San Mateo, selling produce, eggs, flowers, and beans directly to consumers.
3. Restaurant and Wholesale: Supply produce to local restaurants and grocery stores including partner establishments listed on the website.
4. Online Farmstand: Direct-to-consumer online sales through the farm's website for produce, eggs, beans, and flowers with delivery or pickup options.
5. Egg Sales: Pasture-raised organic eggs from heritage breed chickens sold at markets, through CSA add-ons, and wholesale.
6. Flower Sales: Organic cut flowers sold at farmers' markets, through CSA flower shares (53 members as of 2017), and as individual bouquet orders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fifth Crow Farm is a certified organic farm in Pescadero, California that grows and sells seasonal organic vegetables, pasture-raised eggs, cut flowers, heirloom dry beans, and specialty apples and pears. It distributes this produce via CSA produce-box subscriptions, weekly farmers' markets, an online farmstand, and wholesale channels to restaurants and grocery retailers.

Product overview

Fifth Crow Farm is a highly diversified, certified organic farm offering multiple product lines and sales channels. Core offerings include a CSA subscription program (150 members, 27-week season), organic produce, pasture-raised eggs from heritage breed chickens, cut flowers, heirloom dry beans (12+ varieties grown on 6+ acres), and specialty apples and pears (28+ heirloom varieties). Products are distributed through weekly CSA boxes, an online farmstand, farmers' markets across the Bay Area from San Francisco to San Mateo, and wholesale to local restaurants. The farm emphasizes heirloom and heritage varieties unavailable in grocery stores, grown using sustainable and organic practices without sprays.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CSA Subscription (Produce Box)

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported over 600 CSA members in 2020 with customized shares
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HarviecoreTechnology or IntegrationFarm management and CSA customization platform that enables Fifth Crow Farm to offer personalized produce boxes to over 600 CSA members. First adopted in 2020, Harvie has been a key part of the farm's success in supporting individual member needs.
• City Bees Honey (Robert)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdd-on partner for CSA program offering honey products. CSA members can add honey to their weekly shares.
• Markegard Family Grass-Fed (Doniga & Erik Markegard)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdd-on partner for CSA program offering grass-fed meat products. CSA members can add local, sustainably-raised meat to their weekly shares.
• Steadfast Herbs (Lauren & Finn)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdd-on partner for CSA program offering fresh herbs. CSA members can add herb shares to their weekly deliveries.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Marin Organic: Cooperative of organic farms in Marin County, CA marketing collectively to Bay Area consumers, restaurants, and grocers — an adjacent, enabling regional peer rather than a single-farm competitor.

Direct peers

• County Line Harvest: Organic farm in Petaluma, CA focused on wholesale produce supply to Bay Area restaurants and farmers' markets, overlapping with Fifth Crow's restaurant channel and product categories.
• Tomatero Farm: Organic farm in Watsonville, CA with a CSA, farmers' market presence, and wholesale distribution into the Bay Area — overlapping customer base and product mix with Fifth Crow.
• Dirty Girl Produce: Certified organic farm in Santa Cruz County, CA selling at Bay Area farmers' markets and wholesale to restaurants, with a comparable diversified organic produce and dry-farmed tomato focus.
• Eatwell Farm: Certified organic CSA farm in Dixon, CA with delivery/pickup sites across the Bay Area, comparable subscription-based model and diversified organic produce offering.
• Live Earth Farm: Certified organic diversified farm in Watsonville, CA running a CSA program, U-pick, and wholesale to restaurants and retailers across the Bay Area, with comparable vegetable, fruit, and flower product breadth.
• Star Route Farms: Certified organic farm in Bolinas, CA with CSA, farmers' market, and restaurant wholesale channels in the Bay Area — directly comparable business model and customer mix.
• Blue House Farm: Certified organic farm in Pescadero, CA — the same micro-region as Fifth Crow — operating a CSA, farmers' markets, and wholesale to Bay Area restaurants with a similarly diversified vegetable and flower lineup.
• Full Belly Farm: Long-established certified organic diversified farm in Capay Valley, CA running a CSA, farmers' markets, and restaurant/wholesale accounts across Northern California with a similar multi-product strategy.
• Swanton Berry Farm: Certified organic farm on the San Mateo County coast near Pescadero, selling strawberries, vegetables, and value-added products direct-to-consumer and wholesale — comparable organic, coastal California positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fifthcrow
• Facebookfacebook.com/198423163514061
• Instagramfifthcrowfarm.com/wp-content/uploads/Untitled-2.png
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fifth-crow-farm

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 FIFTH CROW FARM