Shun-Fat Nursery
SIZE:
22 acres
YEARS IN BUSINESS:
~20 years
PRODUCTS:
Snow pea tips, bok choy, Chinese mustard, celtuce, edible chrysanthemums
MARKETS:
Restaurants, wholesale
COUNTY:
Santa Clara
Jenny Li’s family has been growing vegetables in Santa Clara County for more than 20 years. They are one of roughly 80 Asian-American-owned farming operations that grow Asian vegetables and herbs here, part of a farming tradition that stretches back to the early 20th century.
The Li family specializes in snow pea tips, a high-value, specialty crop. This production system involves multiple plantings over the year, interspersed with rotations of bok choy, Chinese mustard, and other Asian leafy vegetable crops. Their primary sales are to wholesalers and restaurants in the South Bay, East Bay, and San Francisco. These marketing channels strike a balance between the smaller volume, higher price sales to restaurants and larger volume, lower price sales to wholesalers. Focusing on these specialty Asian crops, the Li’s farm business has expanded steadily over the years, and the size of the land they farm has grown from 5 acres initially to a peak of 26 acres.
Profiled by the Santa Clara County Food System Alliance in their Small Farms, Big Potential report from 2020.
“Locals prefer locally grown products. That’s really helped us flourish.”