BERKELEY, Calif.–The produce from the Berkeley Farmers’ Market has been drawing customers in for years. The many vendors fill up the entire street, creating an inviting community.
The Berkeley Farmers’ Market has been a diverse community with a rich history. For more than 30 years, the farmers’ market has been showcasing a variety of produce and attracting new customers.
Throughout the years, the farmers’ market has received many awards. For instance, SF Gate named the farmers’ market as the Best Farmers’ Market in the Bay Area in their Baylist Best contest.
Here’s a closer look at five of the vendors who sell their products at the farmers’ market.
Andy and Cindy – Ethiopian Food Thai Cuisine
Andy Szachnowicz is a forty-one-year-old man from Poland, Europe who has been making Thai food professionally for 13 years. In 2001, he moved to the United States and started his commercial restaurant in 2005.
He uses seasonal, organic ingredients and free range chicken for most of his dishes. Over the years, Szachnowicz’s business has grown to four other locations.
He also expressed how rewarding it is working independently and how he is “not overseen.”
One of his main focuses is to keep the customers happy. His favorite recipes are Thai noodle dishes.
Lone Oak Ranch – Home of Farmer and the Dale
Cayoa Harang is a thirteen-year-old girl who has been helping her family with the business for years. Dale Simmons, who has been a grandfather figure for Harang, works as a farmer and maintains the business.
Simmons has been farming for approximately 27 years. The business has been passed down through his family for generations, but will stop when he retires. Harang said the most rewarding part is seeing the customers’ surprised faces when they try the fruit. Her favorite foods from the business are the white peaches and grapes.
Savory Crepes
Pete Trembois’s business is considered a “Mom and Pop” family business. His business is called Tony’s Crepes and Kettle Korn and they make custom crepes for customers and pop specialty popcorns. Trembois also has drinks such as lemonade, iced tea and makes his own version of Arnold Palmer iced tea.
His business has several locations and has been selling at 10-20 different farmers’ markets for 25 years. His business in Downtown, Berkeley is there every Saturday. He uses organic ingredients whenever possible and French vegetables. He likes to support one of his favorite farms, Happy Boy Farms, but overall, enjoys supporting all of the farms in the market.
“The customer’s always right…they usually leave with a smile on their face,” he said.
Trembois is very loyal to his customers and his livelihood depends on them. The top-selling item are the crepes.
Kaki Farm in Gridley
The Kaki Farm is a family owned business, and Jessica and Daisy Sifuentes have been helping their uncle for almost nine years. The family has owned the Kaki Farm for over 25 years.
The Kaki Farm is seasonal and their business depends on what produce is growing during each season. Generally, the farm tries to grow different varieties of same product. The Kaki Farm grows blackberries, boysenberries, five different kinds of figs and seven different kinds of tomatoes.
The most challenging part of being in this business is keeping everything in stock for the customers. They also have a two-and-a-half hour drive from Gridley.
Jessica said, “It’s a handful because I do have my job to do outside of this, this is more like a hobby.”
Bariani Olive Oil
The Bariani family moved from Italy to the United States in the 1990s and started their family business after they immigrated. Sebastian Bariani and his family started making olive oil for themselves and eventually expanded into a business.
Bariani makes the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and travels back to Italy to study for two weeks. The olives are handpicked with care rather than being mechanically picked. The family makes other products such as honey, balsamic vinegar and table olives. The balsamic vinegar is made in Italy close to where the family came from.
The family participates in farmers’ markets located in Berkeley, San Francisco and Sacramento.
Tom Dawson helped Bariani for fifteen years and has learned many techniques from him. He introduced the recipe for table olives to the business.
While the main draw for the Bariani Olive Oil business is the oil itself, they also make soaps and skin creams from beeswax and olive oil.
To learn more about the Ecology Center, visit their website.
To learn more about the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, visit this website.