From the Farm to your Doorstep

Capay Organic brings fresh, locally-grown produce directly to consumers through its delivery service Farm Fresh to You.  

The family owned and operated farm began in 1976, when Kathy Barsotti and her husband Martin Barnes were graduate students at UC Davis and looking for ways to improve modern agriculture with organic farming. 

Starting out as a 20-acre organic farm in Capay Valley, about 40 miles northwest of Sacramento, it slowly blossomed into a "truck" farm, selling to farmers' markets and gourmet restaurants. 

In trying to come up with additional ways to connect individuals with crops, Barsotti started Farm Fresh to You in 1992, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that delivers boxes of locally-grown, organic produce directly to customers' doorsteps. 

After Barsotti passed away of breast cancer eight years later, her four sons took over running the farm and company. 

"At the time, the farm was 90 acres, and 900 boxes were delivered each week," said her son and Farm Manager Thaddeus Barsotti. "Now we have expanded to 500 acres and 15,000 boxes per week, reaching members throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and Los Angeles." 

Rather than using the typical farming approach, where farms grow only select items in large amounts to sell to grocery stores, Capay Organic grows as wide a variety of produce as possible with the seasons. 

"The food is harvested for you, versus the selection at the grocery store, which is chosen based on averages," said Barsotti. 

The delivery service offers different box options, which range in their size and contents. For example, there is a Mostly Fruit box that is ideal for those who prefer grab-and-go produce versus a Regular box with a mix of fruits, greens and roots for culinary enthusiasts. 

Although Farm Fresh to You is a CSA, it doesn't use the standard CSA approach, in which customers pay upfront for the farms produce before the growing season begins, committing to the service for a length of time.      

Instead, Farm Fresh to You sources about 20 percent of their produce from other likeminded, organic farmers. This allows them to deliver a wider variety of fruits and vegetables year-round and to offer members flexibility with the contents and frequency of the deliveries, without commitment. 

The door-to-door service is also unique to Farm Fresh to You, as most CSAs deliver their produce to a centralized location or have the customers pick it up at the farm. 

There are other companies that offer direct produce delivery such as Spud and Planet Organics, but rather than producing the harvest themselves, they buy from farms, then repackage and deliver to consumers. 

"We offer the best aspects of both models," said Barsotti. "Consumers can buy directly from a farm but get a great delivery system as well." 

Capay Organic also opens their farm up to the public on a regular basis. The second Saturday of each month people come to see the fields that the produce is harvested from. 

"We have had a lot of success with this, with several hundred people attending each time," said Barsotti. "It provides a direct link between the consumer and the producer." 

With their approach and available services, Farm Fresh to You is paving the way for modern and innovative ways for consumers to get fresh, locally-grown products.   

"We are trying to change the way food is grown and distributed in our country," said Barsotti. "It is catching on and people are into it." 

Farm Fresh to You delivers produce boxes to all of the cities of San Mateo County. 

The delivery day in Millbrae is Wednesday.