Producing Excellence Partner
The Marchini Family
J. Marchini Farms
Location: Le Grand, CA » Products Raised or Grown: Radicchio, figs, almonds and
specialized Italian products » Size of Operation: 5,000 acres » Years in Business: 23 »
Farm Credit Partner: Yosemite Farm Credit » Years Working with Farm Credit: 23
Joe Marchini has traveled a long road from
growing, packing, marketing and shipping. Having
“playing around” in his father’s garden in the 1950s
this infrastructure in place enabled the company
to building a successful, international produce
to efficiently expand into additional products, and
company that now includes his son, Jeff, as CEO
also gave them a competitive edge by providing
and his grandsons Nic and Marc in management
one-stop shopping for their wholesale customers.
roles. J. Marchini Farms started simply enough:
The Marchinis’ reputation with these domestic and
after working with his father for 20 years in several
international customers is critical to their success.
other agricultural enterprises, Joe saw red radicchio
“We ship quality products, and they know that
for the first time while in Italy, and brought home
we’re good growers and honest people,” says Joe.
some seeds he planted on two acres of land.
Technology is playing an increasing role in growing
His first crop was small: eight boxes he brought
these products. Field monitoring systems enable
to San Francisco and sold through the farmers’
long-distance irrigation planning and “Allow you to
market and given to restaurants to introduce
put yourself in the field without having to go there,”
them to the product. Growth was slow, but when
says Nic. GPS and grid sampling systems enable
packaged salad company Fresh Express came to
them to target fertilizer and other plant needs
town, Joe was there to provide radicchio for their
down to the square foot. As Marc puts it, “We’re
mixed “Italian Blend Salad” sold in grocery stores
able to spoon feed our crops.” Technology isn’t
across the country. Having that large customer in
limited to the field: the company recently installed
place positioned Joe to expand his operation to
a solar array, also funded by Yosemite Farm Credit,
provide the consumer salad line with year-round
that powers their cooling and packing facilities.
product. Today, J. Marchini Farms manages 5,000
acres of produce, including 2,000 acres of radicchio
and an additional 3,000 acres of primarily Italian
specialty products, such as figs, fennel and even
a patented species of almond. Joe co-founded a
separate company, Minturn Nut Company, to grow
and process its and other growers’ almonds.
From the beginning, Yosemite Farm Credit provided
financing to enable J. Marchini Farms to build a
vertically integrated operation, encompassing
Despite the company’s success, the family
has not strayed completely away from their
roots: they still maintain a small, 2-acre farm
where they grow a wide variety of summer and
winter produce that they sell at local farmers’
markets. “People want to know where their
food comes from,” says Jeff. “We’ve all been
very involved in this direct marketing.”