Bene Seeds is a farm and seed breeding business managed by Christian Ibarra. Their mission is to enable the world to enjoy delicious, nutritious, beautiful tomatoes. Over the last two decades, through traditional hand-crossing and selection approaches, Bene Seeds has developed a portfolio of truly delicious varieties with exceptional appearance and natural resistance to spoilage. Their seeds can be purchased on their website at www.beneseeds.com and through Johnny’s Selected Seeds. They also sell produce to local restaurants and through specialty wholesalers.

In 2006, Bene Seeds, formerly known as Artisan Seeds/Green Bee Farm, was founded by Fred Hempel, who started growing crops and breeding seedsat the Sunol AgPark focusing primarily on tomatoes, peppers, squash, edible flowers, herbs and mustards. Fred established a pool of high-quality new breeding material for tomatoes, which he called the “Artisan” lines, and which were sold under the “Artisan Seeds” brand name. These tomatoes have been extensively tested and validated over the years by chefs, gardeners, and high-end grocery stores. After a short illness, Fred passed away unexpectedly in October, 2023. He is deeply missed at the AgPark and by his family, friends, and colleagues. Fred’s business partners at Bene Seeds are committed to honoring Fred’s legacy by continuing to breed high quality tomatoes in the Artisan lines. Learn more about Fred’s work here: store.growartisan.com

Jamal Saber, owner and operator of Watani Farm, is originally from Afghanistan where his father owned land and shared with Jamal a passion for agriculture. Since 2019, Jamal has farmed at the AgPark, where he grows tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, eggplant, Afghan melons, and his primary specialty crop: Persian leeks. Watani Farm has grown over the years and Jamal now operates a farm stand with his family in Fremont as well as selling his produce to many Middle Eastern grocery stores and restaurants in the area, and through a market at the Al-Huda Mosque in Union City. To reach Jamal, contact him at jamalnaser82@gmail.com or (510) 754–1483, or visit the farm stand at 4064 Bonde Way, Fremont.

Feral Heart started in the Sunol AgPark in 2014. The farm’s owner, Kanoa Dinwoodie, manages Feral Heart with sustainability and social justice at the forefront of their operation. He brings years of knowledge and skills to Feral Heart.

Kanoa has been farming for 14 years since his start on a ranch just south of Half Moon Bay where he raised dairy goats and hens, propagated fruit trees, cultivated a wide variety of vegetables and herbs and learned how to make nutrient rich compost. Over time, he became passionate about seed saving, as he believes it is important to a farm’s sustainability.

Feral Heart sells fresh produce, herbs and flowers to restaurants all over the bay, and at Oakland’s Grand Lake Market. To learn more about Feral Heart, visit their website at http://www.feralheartfarm.com/.

Matthew and Helena Sylvester, both first generation farmers born and raised in Oakland, CA, own and operate Happy Acre Farm. Before there was Happy Acre, Matthew and Helena started their farming journey with trips to the farmers’ markets and a small garden on their balcony. They now farm on 3acres of land at the Sunol AgPark and grow over 30 vegetable and cut flower crops. Happy Acre sells their produce to local restaurants and through their CSA program. To learn more about Happy Acre, visit their website at http://www.happyacrefarm.com/.

Sol Root Farmers Collective was seeded as a vision by Marcella Sadlowski and Courtney Gonzales in 2018. From 2019 – 2021, that vision started to sprout when generous farmers allocated part of their field towards Sol Root’s learning and growing. In 2022, Sol Root began farming their own plot at the Sunol AgPark and they continue to blossom from there.

A long-term goal is to transition into a worker-owner cooperative farming and herbal medicine business. Sol Root approaches farming as a healing arts practice, where they create spaces for people to reconnect with nature and themselves.

What does this look like? Marcella and Courtney bring in astrology, ancestral veneration, ceremony, and ritual into farming and how they operate their business. They share space where heavy hearts can transmute pain into beauty by being on the land. Sol Root knows that the land needs us for healing too and that when we help something grow it helps us grow, as people, and as a community.

Learn more about Sol Root here: https://solrootfarm.com/

Raised Roots was founded by owner Jamil Burns in 2016 and has been growing produce for market ever since. Based at another plot in Livermore, Raised Roots started farming at the AgPark in 2022. Raised Roots’ mission is to produce healthful and flavorful foods using the full spectrum of nutrients provided by the sun and native soils. They aim to employ low-input practices, to provide all who work on the farm with equitable compensation, and to restore direct relationships between the public and small farmers. Raised Roots grows peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, okra, cucumbers, greens, root vegetables, specialty herbs, and more. To learn more about Raised Roots, visit https://raisedroots.com/

The Sunol Community Gardeners are a group of local retired women who aspire to learn more about farming by maintaining a garden plot at the Sunol AgPark. Some crops grown in their garden are asparagus, artichoke, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peas and berries. They grow crops for themselves and to share with family and friends.