Rounding the corner to Ocean Mist® Farms’ headquarters, with the fog still hanging low in the fields behind me, I wonder what this region looked like 100 years ago. The grower’s history is so integral to Castroville, California, that imagining the landscape without its influence is almost impossible.
Since the 1920s, this Central Coast region has become synonymous with artichokes and, due to the company’s founding influence, Ocean Mist Farms itself. When Daniel Pieri—cousin of Amerigo and Angelo Del Chiaro—and Jim Bellone immigrated from Italy, they could not have known their paths would soon cross with Alfred Tottino and, in turn, spark a boon in artichoke cultivation. Together, they established the California Artichoke & Vegetable Growers Corporation in 1924.
As I park my car and make my way to the company’s state-of-the-art cooler, I already know there is more to Ocean Mist than meets the eye. For example, the company’s most sought-after category, the artichoke, only makes up a fraction of its total volume. This is made obvious by walking the spick-and-span floors of its new value-added facility, where I see Brussels sprouts being washed and prepared for packing. Broccoli, I’m informed, will be cycled in next.
Ocean Mist Farms’ newest cooler and processing facility exemplifies the company’s commitment to technological investments. Here, collaboration and expertise blend to create the quality this industry leader is renowned for. However, this facility is just one piece of the puzzle.
Celebrating its centennial anniversary, Ocean Mist Farms is strongly positioned for a new generation of growth, due largely to its current leader, Chris Drew. Serving as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2021, Chris has spearheaded transformative changes within the company, driving success backed by a family legacy and an expanding product portfolio.
“When we wake up every morning, we want to be the supplier of choice,” Chris explains. “Daily, we focus on exceeding our customers’ and consumers’ expectations with our unwavering commitment to quality, integrity, and innovation. We view our customers as partners in providing consumers with safe, nutritious, and sustainably produced fresh produce.”
Since its founding in 1924, the company has grown from its initial crops of artichokes, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli to an extensive portfolio that now includes over 30 commodities, including most leafy greens, celery, cauliflower, fennel, and much more.
With a new focus on value-added items and fresh vegetable meal solutions for time-starved consumers, Ocean Mist Farms is a nimble operation ready to adapt.
“We view our customers as partners in providing consumers with safe, nutritious, and sustainably produced fresh produce.”
Chris Drew, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ocean Mist® Farms
“We started packing bagged value-added spinach in the early 2000s and, in 2013, we expanded to Brussels sprouts. By 2015, we introduced a full value-added line in response to increasing consumer demand, and our desire is to diversify our offerings across the supply chain,” Chris explains. “This key milestone has allowed us to grow our business over the past 15 years, and significantly within the past five.”
Chris’ leadership, operational rigor, and deep trust in his team have transformed the company, fostering unparalleled collaboration.
“Our core proposition is offering safe, quality products at an affordable price to our customers,” says Glen Alameda, Director of Supply Chain and Compliance. “With technology that we continue to invest in, we’re able to marry sustainability with convenience to make that happen.”
Quality is Glen’s passion, and due to this, he relishes his role in quality assurance and food safety.
“I get the fun stuff,” he laughs. “The cooler, the processing room, the packaging—my group is the last touchpoint before our products reach our customers and eventually consumers.”
This final review is critical for Glen and for Ocean Mist Farms as a whole. The pride each individual takes in their work is evident, from those harvesting in the fields to those operating machinery in the facility. Everyone understands their role in delivering quality products to consumers.
“Our commitment to quality and excellence is rooted in our deep family heritage and our dedication to sustainable practices across every facet of our operations. We have evolved and grown over the last hundred years, yet in many ways, we are still the same Ocean Mist Farms we were back in 1924,” Glen asserts, reminiscing about the original group of growers who founded Ocean Mist Farms. Glen, the great-grandson of Alfred Tottino, emphasizes the importance of the company’s long-term employees. “Many of our employees are part of multi-generational families who have contributed their expertise to our success. The face of our company might be changing, but the bones are not.”
An integral part of the company’s makeup has always been its customer service, an element whose importance Rick Bravo, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, can attest to.
“This company puts quality and service at the top. A lot of people ‘talk it’, but we ‘walk it’ each and every day, and that makes my job easier. We are truly quality-driven,” Rick notes.
Chris agrees, adding, “We have built a strong reputation for quality, dependability, and service over the last hundred years. But as we prepare for our next century, we need a committed focus on innovation. That is at the heart of our strategic plan, from implementing robotics in our fields to using business intelligence in our management, and most importantly, offering products that meet the needs and demands of our consumers.”
A prime example of this commitment to innovation is the company’s dedication to finding optimal regions for farming. While still primarily a California grower, Ocean Mist Farms has recently started farming in the Southeast.
“Our commitment to quality and excellence is rooted in our deep family heritage and our dedication to sustainable practices across every facet of our operations.”
Glen Alameda, Director of Supply Chain and Compliance, Ocean Mist® Farms
“As weather patterns change and reducing food miles becomes a competitive opportunity, we are exploring diversifying our growing regions closer to our East Coast customer base,” Chris emphasizes.
It’s critical to keep an eye out for opportunities, wherever they may strike.
“This strategic approach enables us to consistently deliver the freshest, highest-quality products to both our retail and foodservice customers, meeting their evolving needs with agility and promptness,” adds Rick. “Adding geographic diversity to our farming programs also helps minimize supply disruptions due to weather events.”
With the operational move to expand, the team’s focus on quality is even more laser-tight.
“Historically, we have operated as a California-based shipper, but with our recent investments in expansion, we are working to strategically reduce the distance required to deliver products to our customers nationwide swiftly,” Chris assures. “This enhances the variety of products we grow, including proprietary ones like our artichokes, and ensures top-quality offerings in all our fresh vegetable items. We now grow 30 different commodities year-round, always striving to deliver the highest quality, whether it’s a head of Iceberg lettuce or an artichoke.”
Back at the facility, the company’s focus on quality is evident. Crops grown using sustainable methods are just a short drive away.
“We have to make sure we are being sustainable throughout the supply chain,” Glen points out, highlighting the importance of efficient logistics. “The solution is not as simple as loading trucks effectively and keeping the fresh vegetable products in the cold chain during multi-day trips to their destination. By implementing regional solutions, we can significantly reduce food miles by producing crops within a one-day trip.”
“This company puts quality and service at the top. A lot of people ‘talk it’, but we ‘walk it’ each and every day, and that makes my job easier.”
Rick Bravo, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Ocean Mist® Farms
When I visited Ocean Mist Farms, its logo and rebranding were in their final stages, but the spirit surrounding the initiative was invigorating. Driving through the fields of artichokes and Iceberg lettuce, we discussed the reasoning behind the brand refresh.
“Our original company name is the California Artichoke & Vegetable Growers Corporation, which we successfully operated under for 71 years,” Glen explains. “In the early days, much like many other fresh produce companies, we did not have a specific logo or a visual embodiment of our brand. We had our company name and crate labels, but not a logo.”
Recognizing the need for stronger branding, Ocean Mist Farms established and began using its former logo in 1995.
“After 29 years, we thought our milestone 100-year anniversary was the appropriate opportunity to refresh,” Glen reasons.
After extensive research, feedback, and collaboration, Ocean Mist Farms unveiled its new brand and logo in June 2024. The update retains the legacy blue from the previous design but replaces the red with a vibrant green, symbolizing growth, nature, and farming. The green is also used in the single leaf that dots the “i” in Mist to further reinforce the company’s connection to produce, farming, and fresh.
As Ocean Mist Farms continues to leverage the experience and excellence gleaned from 100 years of successful farming, it also has a smart and adaptable team at its core that is focused on the future. With this in mind, I asked each leader what they hoped to achieve in the coming years.
“We did not survive a hundred years without the focus on continuous innovation and adaptation to changing consumer dynamics,” Chris declares. “Sometimes change is uncomfortable, but it is essential in the ever-changing perishable environment in which we operate.”
“At the end of the day, it’s about our most valuable asset—our people—who have made and still make this company amazing, productive, and successful.”
Chris Drew
When reflecting on this question, Rick harkens back to the value-added element of Ocean Mist’s operations.
“When I joined the company in 2018, we were already in the value-added business, including our award-winning Season & Steam microwavable line. Since then, we’ve grown our value-added business substantially to continually meet the growing needs and demands of our consumers. It’s certainly an area we are focusing more of our attention on going forward,” Rick reflects. “With that in mind, we are thrilled to announce the launch of a new series of items in our value-added line this fall. These products will be the first in our new Roastables meal solutions series, featuring exciting flavor profiles we are confident consumers will love.”
Glen’s excitement can be found in the prospect of bringing new customers into the fold.
“We will concentrate on enhancing our processing operations and revitalizing the vegetable segments we’re known for, presenting them in innovative and exciting ways,” Glen maintains. “Looking at an artichoke for the first time can be really intimidating. We have to break down that barrier for consumers so they see it as an approachable vegetable that piques their interest and can be enjoyed in a variety of applications.”
Speaking with members of the leadership team, I sensed their reverence for Ocean Mist Farms’ past, along with their unwavering commitment and enthusiasm for its future. Nowhere is this clearer than in Chris’ final remarks.
“At the end of the day, it’s about our most valuable asset—our people—who have made and still make this company amazing, productive, and successful. That includes our founders, current partners, the generations that have followed, and the many people who have led, directed, challenged, and worked so hard for this company over the past 10 decades,” Chris concludes. “I have such a great sense of humility for the achievements of the many Ocean Mist Farms’ employees—past and present—who have brought us to this milestone.”
For 100 years, this respected grower has demonstrated resilience and strength. As it looks to the future, its legacy remains a testament to its enduring reliability. With a solid foundation, it is well-prepared to tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities of the coming century. 
