You may or may not know that we subscribe to a weekly “veggie box” as part of our participation in Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA). The farm we help support is Full Belly Farm, located in the Capay Valley of Yolo County, California. This article appeared recently in the newsletter that comes with our weekly box. Having visited The Nut Tree in Vacaville (at the junction of I-505 and I-80) many times, I was excited to learn that, as part of its re-development, there will be a “Capay Valley Farm Shop,” and that Full Belly is one of the participating farms.
The Capay Valley Farm Shop: A Continuing Effort to Maintain a Sense of Place
Last Thursday was an exciting day for us here at Full Belly Farm, for on that day, Full Belly and a number of other Capay Valley farmers rolled open the doors of our very own market and deli - the Capay Valley Farm Shop. Located at the junction of I-505 and I-80 in the new Nut Tree Redevelopment Project, the Capay Valley Farm Shop is a small family-farmer owned market and deli, which will sell local products from our family farms directly to consumers. While the story of the store’s opening is news in and of itself, it is the history of its development that we find so compelling to tell.
As with most rural communities that lie within 50 miles of growing urban centers, the Capay Valley is consistently wrestling with population and economic growth pressures that threaten to reshape and change the character of our historically agricultural community. Back in 2000, with vast expansion plans unveiled by Cache Creek Casino coupled with continuing growth in surrounding urban areas, local farmers and residents realized that preserving the agricultural heritage of the Capay Valley would require our active work and participation.
Through a concerted and organized effort, the residents of our valley formed Capay Valley Vision, a community planning organization that hoped to develop a common ground and vision for our Valley’s future. Accepting that changes would inevitably occur, through Capay Valley Vision we hoped that we could at least manage these future changes in such a way that they would preserve the agriculture, natural resources and rural character of our area.
One of the initial projects born out of this planning group, was Capay Valley Grown - a collaborative of local growers - including Full Belly, Good Humus, Capay Valley Vineyards and others - who worked together in hopes of maintaining and improving the economic vitality of farming in our Valley. At the outset, Capay Valley Grown worked to brand our valley such that it was synonymous with our region’s history of producing high-quality agricultural products. Through a combined effort, our local farms developed common marketing language and a Capay Valley Grown logo. As you may have noticed, this logo and language now appears on all shipping and CSA boxes from Capay Valley Grown partners (including our own). In addition, our partner farms also begin to work more closely, sharing experiences and resources in a way that has allowed all involved the opportunity to work towards sustaining and growing our farming businesses.
One day back in March 2006 Thomas Nelson, Judith’s husband, read in the local paper that Steve Carlin - the project manager of the Ferry Plaza Building in San Francisco - was developing a local artisan food market at the Nut Tree in Vacaville. Thomas, a recent MBA graduate at Davis and the founding executive director of Capay Valley Vision, developed the concept of expanding the work of Capay Valley Grown through opening a local food market at the Nut Tree Family Park; a market that would showcase the products of our family farms and the history of the Capay Valley.
Thomas pitched the idea of creating a family farmer owned and operated market to the Capay Valley Growers - and many were intrigued by the concept. With the support of Capay Valley Grown, Thomas began conducting a feasibility study and crafting a business plan. The business plan and research findings were then presented to the Capay Valley Growers - who were convinced by the proposal. From there the project seemed to take on a life of its own: 23 investors (many of them local family farmers) jumped in to finance the project, Davis business students began developing marketing and website plans, and friends, family and supporters pitched in to develop the concept from planning to painting. As with many of our farming businesses, the development of the Capay Valley Farm Shop has been a collaborative affair that has survived because of our community of volunteers and friends who are dedicated to promoting sustainable, local agriculture.
While development of the store continues, with the Grand Opening scheduled for August 9, this is an exciting (albeit anxious) time for us. The store is really quite a unique enterprise - a test run to see if there is a market out there for family farmer-owned, local food markets. It is a risk, but we have faith. For over the last few weeks we have had a constant reminder on the farm of why this store is necessary and why it will succeed. With the Muller kid’s summer camps at the farm, we have been blessed to see how today’s children and their parents react to the experience of being reconnected to the land and the vibrant food produced by healthy soils, water and hard-work. Here at the farm, we recognize that there is a unique feeling that comes with being in the presence of this kind of production on a daily basis and it is not uncommon to hear many of the local farmers talk about how we can continue reconnecting our increasingly urban society to the land - and again bring people and their food closer together. We see this store as an opportunity to reach out to new consumers and as an avenue to promote and maintain the Capay Valley as a zone of awe-inspiring and economically vibrant agricultural production.
–Paul Davis
1661 E. Monte Vista Ave. #104
Vacaville, CA 95688
877.NUT.TREE or 707.451.8950
info@capayvalleygrowers.com
www.capayvalleyfarmshop.com
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