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Heidi Devine Garcia, daughter of the founders of Double D Farms, explains that it was her mother’s passion for food and growing it the right way that led the company to be a pioneer in the organic vegetable movement.
“My mom (Elvia Devine) didn’t like seeing these ‘perfect oversized vegetables’ at the supermarket,” said Heidi, noting that her mother grew up in Mexico, immigrating to the United States when she was only 14 years old.
Elvia and Don Devine, founders, Double D Farms
Elvia knew that Mother Nature didn’t produce fruits and vegetables in that way and so she wanted Double D Farms to go back to nature using organic farming techniques. “She wanted to set us apart from the other growers in the area,” Heidi said.
Don and Elvia Devine started Double D Farms on land west of Fresno, CA, in 1986 with pistachios and almonds being their main crops. It was in the early ‘90s that the couple added row crops to their repertoire and transitioned the farm to organic production. Devine Garcia, who joined the family operation several years ago and is now purchasing manager, said the first organic crop they grew was fresh garlic in partnership with the premier garlic company, Christopher Ranch of Gilroy, CA. That partnership remains strong to this day.
Double D Farms corn in Baja, California
The product line has expanded over the years and now it also includes asparagus, broccoli, celery, blueberries, dry onions, cantaloupe, sweet corn and watermelon. Devine Garcia said that currently one of Double D’s top priorities is to be a year-round producer of organic sweet corn.
The company can accomplish this task because the operations have expanded in recent years to other districts as it now has grower partnerships in Baja California and the state of Sonora in Mexico, and in South Texas. “We are grower-shippers in all areas,” Devine Garcia said. “We invest in all the fields. We have skin in the game.”
Heidi Devine Garcia, purchasing manager of Double D Farms, and daughter of Elvia and Don Devine
In those other growing districts, the company grows many of the same crops to be a year-round producer of as many crops as it can. Double D’s customer list is heavily skewed toward the retail community in the western half of the United States.
And it is committed to spreading the word about the benefits of eating organics. The firm mostly uses social media to connect with both its retail customers and the consumers that buys its products. “We want to teach consumers about organics and promote healthy eating,” she said, adding that the company believes that sustainability and taking responsibility for what you grow is important.
Heide Devine Garcia has been working with her parents for the last four years and during that time she has noted continued growth in the organic sector. She said the category continues to grow significantly year over year
Double D Farms touts the facts that it is a family, woman and minority owned business, run by agricultural entrepreneur, Elvia Devine. Devine Garcia says her mother was one of the first females to lead a wholesale organic produce company and has dedicated her career to the agricultural sector.
