For the first part of Frog Hollow Farm’s story, the farm’s world was relatively close to home. Fruit was grown in Brentwood and sold primarily to Bay Area customers at farmers markets, independent grocery stores, and restaurants. But as Frog Hollow grew, so did the possibilities for where our fruit could go.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, the farm entered an exciting period of expansion. New acreage meant more trees and more fruit, while the growing organic and local food movements were creating new opportunities to reach customers. Little by little, Frog Hollow began building the relationships and distribution networks that would eventually take our fruit far beyond the Bay Area.
Growing Into New Markets
Farmer Al had been thinking about diversification since he founded Frog Hollow Farm in 1976. He loved growing different kinds of fruit, but he also recognized the practical marketing benefit of having a variety of crops. “If you’re already selling peaches, you might as well be selling nectarines and apricots at the same time,” Farmer Al says.
In 1985, Al purchased a 20-acre parcel from a neighboring farmer which allowed him to experiment with more varieties. But as production increased, so did the need to find new places to sell the fruit. Going national was never a single goal written on a business plan. Instead, it happened as a natural progression.
“As you’re beginning to build your operations and your production goes up, you have to find more markets,” Al explains. One of the first major opportunities came with the farm’s transition to organic farming in 1989.
A New Era with Whole Foods Market
Frog Hollow’s transition to organic farming happened just as the organic movement was gaining momentum across the country and as Whole Foods Market was beginning to expand beyond its Texas roots. When Whole Foods opened stores in Palo Alto and Berkeley, Frog Hollow had a significant advantage: these were markets the farm could reach directly from Brentwood.
Al contacted the buyers, beginning what would become one of Frog Hollow’s most important early retail relationships. At first, the relationship was local. But before long, Frog Hollow fruit was making its way to Whole Foods stores in Mill Valley, Cupertino, and other Bay Area communities.
For Frog Hollow, this was a meaningful step beyond the smaller independent grocers that had made up much of the farm’s customer base, including Monterey Market and Star Grocery. It was also happening at an important moment in the Bay Area food scene. As California cuisine was flourishing, chefs were becoming increasingly interested in fresh, seasonal ingredients, and the organic food movement was gathering momentum.
Whole Foods became an important partner in that evolving food landscape, and an essential customer as Frog Hollow continued to grow. Having Frog Hollow fruit in more stores also helped build recognition for the farm. Our fruit was reaching more people, and the Frog Hollow name was beginning to travel with it.
Following the Fruit East
By the late 1990s, the farm’s growing reputation began reaching the East Coast. An unexpected part of that story came from the Bay Area restaurant community. As talented chefs from restaurants like Chez Panisse moved to New York City in search of new opportunities, they brought their relationships and preferences with them. Soon, some of those chefs were asking a familiar question: Could they get Frog Hollow fruit in their New York restaurants? Those requests helped open the door to a much larger market.
But getting fruit from Brentwood to New York required more than simply finding customers—it required building the network to get it there. Around 2006, Frog Hollow connected with Baldor Specialty Foods, a major East Coast distributor. The relationship began thanks to a Frog Hollow employee who had come from upstate New York and knew about Baldor. That introduction eventually led TJ Murphy of Baldor to visit the farm.
Baldor helped establish a stronger Frog Hollow presence on the East Coast, bringing our fruit to renowned restaurants and hotels and helping distribute Frog Hollow fruit to Whole Foods stores there as well.
Reaching Customers Through Mail Order
While Frog Hollow was finding its way into restaurants and stores across the country, Farmer Al was also thinking about another way to reach customers directly.
He had long admired Harry & David’s mail-order business and had been buying their holiday gift boxes for years. He loved how the company had built a business around shipping fruit directly to customers and began wondering if Frog Hollow could do something similar. Instead of relying on a store or distributor all the time, why not send fruit directly from the farm to someone’s kitchen?
With that, Frog Hollow began its mail-order business in the 1990s. It was a new challenge, but it was also a powerful way to introduce people across the country to the farm. And over time, something especially meaningful emerged: customer loyalty.
Some customers returned year after year, becoming part of the Frog Hollow community from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. One of those early customers was Roberta Grimes from Cape Cod. She began ordering Frog Hollow fruit when the mail-order program was getting started, and she is still a customer to this day!
One Thing Fed the Other
Throughout this period, the growth of Frog Hollow’s markets and the growth of the farm happened hand in hand. More acreage meant more fruit. More fruit meant finding more customers. New customers created opportunities to grow. And as the farm grew, Farmer Al was also building distributor relationships and a team capable of farming that additional acreage. There was no single moment when the farm suddenly “went national.”
“It all happened organically,” Al says. “One thing fed the other.”
Looking back on this chapter, we’re especially thankful for the people and relationships that helped carry Frog Hollow beyond the Bay Area. Those relationships have been an essential part of our story for 50 years, and we’re deeply grateful for everyone who has helped us grow along the way.