Murray Family Farms, Inc.

What Murray Family Farms, Inc. does

Murray Family Farms, Inc. is a multi-generational, family-owned farm founded in 1983 in Bakersfield, California by Steve and Vickie Murray (originally operating as S.M. Apiaries). The farm grows over 350 varieties of organic, regenerative specialty produce and is the largest commercial cherry grower in California by variety count, claiming the world's first cherry harvest each season through proprietary out-of-climate growing techniques and a proprietary GG1 cherry variety. Its horticultural technology stack centers on regenerative farming practices — cover crops, crop rotation, reduced soil disturbance, and hundreds of thousands of pounds of natural composted organic matter annually — combined with experimental methods that enable boysenberries, blueberries, and white peaches to be grown commercially in California. The farm also manages one of the largest rare fruit collections in North America under Steven Murray Jr., with active development of Che Fruit for California cultivation.

The business operates a hybrid direct-to-consumer model spanning two physical farm stands (the Big Red Barn and the Little Purple Barn), the Cal-Okie Orchard Kitchen restaurant serving the award-winning Okie Fry-Pie, and over 25 farmers markets across California (Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Altadena, Santa Barbara, and others). Agritourism revenue is generated through U-pick berries, the annual Bakersfield Pumpkin Patch / October FunFest, school tours ($12/visitor), and seasonal events. Wholesale distribution extends through Specialty Produce San Diego, FarmShopLA, EatalyLA, Goodegg home delivery, and Double L Market in Connecticut, plus nationwide shipping and a Square-based online pre-order system with a $40 minimum. Certifications include Organic, Non-GMO, Global GAP, and regenerative/sustainable designations.

The company employs 90+ team members across agronomy, retail, hospitality, education, and logistics, and serves a diversified customer base of health-conscious produce consumers, families seeking agritourism experiences, K–12 school groups, and wholesale specialty produce buyers. No external funding has been raised; ownership and operations remain entirely within the Murray family.

Name

Murray Family Farms, Inc.

Legal name

Murray Family Farms, Inc.

Website

https://murrayfamilyfarms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Murray Family Farms is a multi-generational, family-owned Bakersfield farm operating two farm stands, 25+ California farmers markets, agritourism U-pick experiences, an on-site restaurant, school tours, and wholesale distribution of 350+ varieties of organic specialty produce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Crop Farming

NAICS

Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (1113), Other Vegetable (except Potato) and Melon Farming (111219)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Organic Fruit & Tree Nut Farming (Orchards) (AFAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Farmers’ Markets & Farm Stands (Fresh Food) (CRAHAHAE), Organic Produce & Farm Market Retail (CRAHAEAD)

Keywords

• Specialty produce farming
• Organic fruit production
• Agritourism experiences
• Farmers market retail
• U-pick berry farming

Headquarters

HQ city

Bakersfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Farm Stand Retail Sales: Direct retail sales at two farm stand locations - The Big Red Barn and The Little Purple Barn in Bakersfield, CA. The Big Red Barn operates 8am-8pm with a Cal-Okie Orchard Kitchen serving comfort food including the award-winning Okie Fry-Pie.
2. Farmers Market Sales: Sales at over 25 farmers markets across California including year-round markets in Santa Monica, Altadena, and seasonal markets in Beverly Hills, Manhattan Beach, Santa Barbara, and many others. Products include 350+ varieties of organic produce picked ripe daily.
3. Agritourism and U-Pick: Admission-based family entertainment including berry picking, tractor-drawn wagon rides, animal gardens, bouncing pillows, slides, and seasonal festivals. General admission $10.99, Lil' Sprouts (ages 2-4) $6.99. Pick-your-own berries at $5.99/pint or $14.99/1.5 Qt tub.
4. School Tours: Educational field trips offered Wednesday-Friday with activities including tractor tours, animal garden, exotic aviary, jumping pillow, and storybook trail. Price is $12 per visitor with every 5 students receiving 1 free teacher/chaperone.
5. Online Pre-Order System: Pre-order system for farmers market pickup with $40 minimum order. Orders placed online through Square site or via email, fulfilled first-come, first-served.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Murray Family Farms operates a vertically integrated specialty crop farm in Bakersfield, CA, that grows over 350 varieties of organic, regeneratively farmed produce and sells them through two on-farm retail stands, 25+ California farmers markets, an online pre-order platform, and agritourism experiences. The farm complements its produce operation with seasonal U-Pick berry attractions, an annual pumpkin patch, educational school tours, and an on-site restaurant (Cal-Okie Orchard Kitchen) serving the award-winning Okie Fry-Pie.

Product overview

Murray Family Farms operates as an agritourism and specialty produce farm with a diversified portfolio of products and services. The core offering consists of on-farm retail through The Big Red Barn and The Little Purple Barn farmstands, supplemented by seasonal Berry U-Pick experiences and the annual Pumpkin Patch festival. The farm's culinary component, Cal-Okie Orchard Kitchen, serves the award-winning Okie Fry-Pie. A network of Farmers Markets across California distributes over 350 varieties of organic produce, with an online pre-order system enabling market pickups. Educational School Tours provide hands-on farm experiences. The specialty produce line includes hundreds of cherry varieties (claiming world's first harvest and California's largest selection), watermelon, Buddha's Hand Citron, Elderberries, Goat Nipple Berries, green/unripe produce, and emerging products like Che Fruit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Berry U-Pick Seasonal on-farm pick-your-own experience for strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries with general admission that includes farm attractions such as wagon rides, animal garden, bouncing pillow, and super slides; aimed at families and tourists in the Bakersfield area.
• Pumpkin Patch (October FunFest) Annual seasonal October FunFest pumpkin patch event featuring harvest-themed family activities and farm entertainment at the farm's Bakersfield locations.
• School Tours Educational K-12 field trip program offered Wednesday-Friday with hands-on farm activities including tractor tours, animal garden, exotic aviary, storybook trail, and the jumping pillow; pricing is $12 per visitor with every 5 students receiving 1 free teacher/chaperone.
• Farmers Markets Sales Sales of 350+ varieties of organic produce at 25+ farmers markets across California including year-round markets in Santa Monica, Hollywood, and Altadena, plus seasonal markets in Beverly Hills, Manhattan Beach, Santa Barbara, and others, with an online pre-order system ($40 minimum) for pickup.
• Farmstands (Big Red Barn and Little Purple Barn) On-farm retail locations in Bakersfield, CA including The Big Red Barn (main headquarters, 8am-8pm with the Cal-Okie Orchard Kitchen) and The Little Purple Barn (seasonal second location), selling the farm's fresh seasonal produce directly to consumers.
• Cal-Okie Orchard Kitchen On-farm restaurant at The Big Red Barn serving mid-western comfort food fusion, home of the award-winning Okie Fry-Pie; open daily during farm stand hours and serves as the food and beverage anchor of the Bakersfield farm experience.
• Okie Fry-Pie (Okie Pie) Award-winning signature fried pie dessert, a Bakersfield original created by Vickie Murray and served at the Cal-Okie Orchard Kitchen; marketed as a flagship comfort food item tied to the farm's brand identity.
• Specialty Cherry Varieties Commercial specialty cherry varieties including Tulare, Rainier, Brooks, the proprietary GG1 (bred 441B18, huge dark cherry with very low acid), Bing, and 500+ other varieties; the farm claims the largest commercial cherry selection in California and the world's earliest cherry harvest each season, with Rainier cherries regularly at 20-25 Brix sugar content.
• Specialty Watermelon Varieties Multiple watermelon varieties including seedless, picnic, icebox, yellow/orange, and mini marvels; the farm has been refining watermelon production for five generations and over a century of combined family expertise.
• Buddha's Hand Citron Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis grown as part of the rare fruit collection; features finger-like segments with no juice, white pith with cucumber and grapefruit flavors, used for candying, sun tea, Buddha-cello liqueur, and natural insect repellent.
• Goat Nipple Berries (Goumi / Silverberry) Elaeagnus conferta Roxb rare berry native to China with the highest lycopene content of any food, grown exclusively at the Bakersfield farm as a specialty item in the rare fruit collection.
• Elderberries and Elderflowers Sambucus Adoxaceae elderberries and elderflowers used for syrups, jams, beverages, and antiviral medicinal preparations, with traditional Celtic cultural significance and marketed through the harvest spotlight articles.
• Green / Unripe Specialty Produce Specialty unripe produce offering including green strawberries, green plums (umeboshi-style), Armenian plums, and other green berries consumed before sugar sets in, positioned as a culinary niche item.
• Che Fruit Small berry with watermelon-like flavor and almond-like seeds being developed commercially in California by Steven Murray Jr for nationwide distribution as part of the rare fruit collection.

Quantifiable outcome

• Largest cherry selection in California with first harvest in the world
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Specialty Produce San DiegocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecialty Produce San Diego serves as a distribution partner, offering Murray Family Farms produce to customers in the San Diego area through their specialty produce channels.
• FarmShopLAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFarmShopLA at Santa Monica carries Murray Family Farms produce, making their specialty fruits available to Los Angeles customers at this renowned food destination.
• EatalyLAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEatalyLA offers Murray Family Farms produce to their customer base, aligning with their premium organic and specialty produce offerings.
• GoodeggminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGoodegg provides home delivery of Murray Family Farms produce to the Bay Area and LA basin, enabling direct-to-consumer delivery through their platform.
• Double L MarketminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDouble L Market in Connecticut carries Murray Family Farms produce, extending their reach to the East Coast market.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Frog Hollow Farm: Brentwood, California organic stone fruit and specialty produce farm selling direct via farm stand, farmers markets, and mail order. Comparable regenerative/organic fruit farm positioning and direct-to-consumer specialty produce distribution.
• Underwood Family Farms: Multi-generation California family farm operating farm stands, U-pick berry patches, and seasonal agritourism events similar to Murray Family Farms' Big Red Barn and FunFest model. Highly comparable diversified farm stand + agritourism business in Southern California.
• Tanaka Farms: Orange County family farm offering U-pick strawberries, vegetable fields, wagon tours, and a farm stand. Closely comparable agritourism + direct-retail produce model targeting families and schools, just as Murray Family Farms does at its Bakersfield location.
• Capay Organic: Northern California organic farm operating a farm stand and CSA/market distribution for diverse specialty produce. Comparable certified-organic fruit and vegetable operation with direct retail and farm-stand channels.
• Bates Nut Farm: Valley Center, California farm combining a farm store with agritourism (u-pick, pumpkin patch, events) on a multi-generation family operation. Directly analogous agritourism-plus-farm-retail business model in Southern California.
• Live Earth Farm: Watsonville, California organic farm offering U-pick berries, farm tours, school programs, and farmers market sales. Comparable organic, agritourism-oriented, education-focused California farm.

Broad incumbents

• Harry & David: Iconic specialty fruit (pears, cherries, stone fruit) gift and mail-order brand operating at national scale. Comparable premium fruit positioning and nationwide shipping model, though with much larger marketing and distribution infrastructure.
• Stemilt Growers: Major Pacific Northwest tree fruit grower (cherries, apples, pears) supplying national wholesale and retail channels. Comparable at the cherry category level where Murray Family Farms competes, but at vastly larger commercial scale.
• Driscoll's: Largest U.S. berry grower (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries) operating at massive scale across multiple regions. Relevant incumbent in the berry categories Murray Family Farms grows and u-picks, but at far greater scale and breadth.

Emerging players

• The Fruit Guys: Specialty produce distributor delivering farm-fresh fruit to workplaces and homes, sourcing from small/regional growers including California farms. Comparable go-to-market via specialty wholesale and Goodegg-style home delivery relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Murray Family Farms, Inc.