Case Studies Region: West

Jim Cheney had just graduated high school in 1968 and when his father advised him to look for a job at Wenatchee Pack, he thought he was going to work at one of the fruit packing sheds in town. And why not? His hometown of Wenatchee, Washington, is considered the “Apple Capital of the World,” […]

Founded in 1983, Merryvale Vineyards’ proprietor René Schlatter has announced that the winery will be celebrating its 40th anniversary through 2023 with a series of events to highlight the past 40 years of Merryvale’s Napa Valley wines, while also providing a sneak-peak at future wine releases. Over the last four decades, Merryvale Vineyards has established […]

Time was when hops were just another agricultural commodity. Much like a kernel of wheat, once processed there wasn’t much difference among these little cone-like flowers regardless of where they were grown. “Well, since then, the whole craft beer movement has changed what it’s like to be a hop farmer,” Kevin Riel tells Terra Firma […]

Ask Nate Offenberg the reason for his company’s success, and he’ll says it’s more than just the quality of the product Pacific Farms delivers. “For any family-owned business with a global footprint, strong relationships with partners around the world are just as important,” he tells Terra Firma. Pacific Farms, which has corporate offices in Reno, […]

When Chad Yakobson founded Crooked Stave, he wasn’t just trying to make good beer. He was trying to prove something. While most brewers had spent decades removing Brettanomyces in beer, he’d spent years studying how to use the yeast species. As laid out in his master’s thesis, he concluded that when left in, Brettanomyces creates […]

Picking from the produce section of a grocery store is often a gamble, especially if fruit is concealed by peels or rinds. As the co-owner of Turlock Fruit, Stephen Smith hates it when someone buys a melon only to cut it open and find pale, unripe flesh, which is common with cantaloupe and honeydew melon. […]

When gophers munch on grapevine roots and trunks at the California properties entrusted to Redwood Empire Vineyard Management, co-owner and viticulturist Tyler Klick doesn’t resort to poisons that pose a secondary threat to predators. Instead, he sets up nesting boxes for barn owls. One of those predators might sink its talons into a couple thousand […]

Finally, it’s lunchtime and you’ve decided to go a healthier route today. However, when you open your bag of mixed greens, it doesn’t have croutons, cheese or dressing to liven it up. Here was a gap in the condiment supply chain, Leslie Surber thought—and it needed to be fixed. That’s among the reasons she started […]

Going out to eat with children can be challenging, especially if they’re picky eaters. Darden Coors had been seeing this at MAD Greens, the fast casual restaurant chain where she’s CEO, and wanted to offer more than salads. Now, with macaroni and cheese on the menu, she’s hoping the restaurant will appeal to a wider […]

Growing up, Luis Castaneda remembers his family hosting large gatherings where his mom would cook for 80 to 100 guests. He’d be in the kitchen as she moved between the stove, the counter, the sink and the fridge, mesmerized by how his mother managed to do so much at once. Later, he’d join the guests […]