Spade & Plow
SIZE:
26 acres
YEARS IN BUSINESS:
4 years
PRODUCTS:
Diverse vegetable crops, including artichokes, swiss chard, tomatoes, and garlic.
MARKETS:
CSA, farmers’ markets, restaurants, wholesaler
COUNTY:
Santa Clara
Spade & Plow, a small farm operating out of San Martin, is a family run business with a focus on serving Santa Clara County. It was started in 2015 by three members of the Thorp family: brothers, Sam and Nick, and their father, Mike. Each of the founders brought experience with a different aspect of agriculture to Spade & Plow.
Mike Thorp’s expertise is in organic production. Having become a certified organic farmer in the early 1980s, Mike spent most of his career working for organic companies such as Cal-Organic and Earthbound Farms. Sam had prior experience in wholesale and distribution, while Nick specializes in equipment design and construction. The Thorps’ different skill sets and their ability to work together has been one of Spade & Plow’s greatest assets.
Although they grew up farming in Monterey County, the Thorps “really wanted to be in Santa Clara County” because, as Sam says, “we saw an underserved need for organic and local produce” here. Yet finding land in Santa Clara County was harder than they anticipated and has remained Spade & Plow’s biggest challenge. In 2015, they were able to rent a 10-acre plot just off the side of Highway 101 in San Martin. They added another 27 acres in 2017.
Since then, their landlord has taken back 17 acres from the second leased field, reducing their acreage by nearly 50%. Two-year lease terms also create considerable uncertainty for this growing business and make it too risky for Spade & Plow to invest in certain types of farm technology, infrastructure and some crops, such as fruit trees, berries, and perennial flowers. In a few more years, they hope to be in a position to purchase farmland of their own within the county.
Profiled by the Santa Clara County Food System Alliance in their Small Farms, Big Potential report from 2020.
“Creating a strong industry here around ag would create more infrastructure, and create more interest, and help bring our costs down and our sales up.”