Valliwide Marketing: A Champion for Family-Run Farms in California’s Central Valley
When OGC’s stone fruit Buyer Brian Keogh wants to know how a variety from Valliwide Marketing is eating, he picks up the phone and calls Mason Parkinson. Mason can be relied on for a straight answer and makes it a point to always to test the fruit.
“Mason’s opinion is essential to how we craft our stone fruit program,” Brian shares. “His direct contact with the fruit helps us create an incredible experience for our customers.”
Brian, Tod and Mason
Mason learned the fruit business from his father, Tod Parkinson. Tod founded an earlier iteration of the company (then called Valley Pride Marketing) back in 1992 to support growers in the Central Valley. Building upon those early roots, Valliwide’s purpose and mission are to support small, family-run organic growers who care about their local community’s health, welfare, and environment.
“Brian and OGC were instrumental in the decision to transition to organic in the early 2000s,” Mason shares. “OGC helped us, encouraged us and supported us back when organic was still a niche market.”
Mason now owns and runs Valliwide Marketing, though Tod and wife Traci didn’t stray too far. The couple are owners and full-time growers on 100 acres of land known as Valliwide Organic Farm, producing a fruit line under the First Fruits label.
“It’s astounding to walk their acres of orchards and see not only the care they put into maintaining their trees but also the number of different varieties Tod grows,” Brian says.
Tod, OGC’s 2016 Stone Fruit Tour
Tod selects varieties with the end-user in mind, often sacrificing volume in favor of quality and eating experience. His interest in innovation, paired with a team of long-term employees that lend valuable consistency to the operation year-over-year, results in fruit that is not to be missed!
Always eager to experiment, Tod and Mason are hoping to bring late-season peaches to market in the near future. This project would mean that once Northwest-grown peaches begin to dwindle in late August, Valliwide could extend the peach season into October.
The idea of kids returning to school in the fall and packing their lunch totes with peaches from Valliwide thrills Mason and has been keeping Tod busy in the field.
More than just exceptional growers, Tod and Traci are also dedicated to donating a significant portion of profits generated by the farm to benefit a philanthropic endeavor that has become near and dear to them. Working with the organization When I Grow Up, funds from First Fruits help to feed children experiencing extreme poverty across the globe.
Valliwide proudly distributes the First Fruit label and stone fruit from 13 other growers in the Central Valley, including some well-known names in the industry such as D. E. Boldt, Mike Andersen, and Red Raven Farms.
Mason is excited about the changes in the market he’s seeing that have buyers trending toward taste.
“For a stretch of time, everyone wanted the biggest piece of fruit,” Mason explains. “Now they realize if it eats, it's better.”
This emerging emphasis on flavor will only stand to benefit their portfolio of growers who Valliwide has specifically sought out, not only for the size of their operations but for their fidelity to the best-tasting varieties the region can produce.
This season is shaping up to be stellar for flavor-forward fruit. Despite the challenges of a particularly dry season, the benefit is the fruit coming off the trees has a more concentrated flavor with beautifully developed sugars.
Brian encourages customers to keep an eye out for the Black Splendor plums Valliwide is sourcing from Red Raven Farms. They’re a black-skinned, red-fleshed, high-sugar variety that’s one of the best fresh eaters in the plum category. Black Splendor will be landing in a matter of days.
Early-season nectarines from Valliwide have already been a big hit! If you’ve been enjoying nectarines thus far, Brian can’t express enough enthusiasm for the next wave of nectarines that will begin landing in approximately seven to ten days. Expect those to continue eating well into the months ahead.