When Drew and Myra Goodman came to California’s Carmel Valley, they were drawn to the natural beauty and richness of the land. Even before they turned over their first shovels full of soil, they believed strongly in doing the right thing, which meant committing to farming this spectacular land organically, producing food they would want to eat themselves and would feel good about serving their families, friends, and neighbors. From that idea came Earthbound Farm. 

Over twenty years later, Earthbound Farm is the world’s largest grower of organic produce. The Goodmans continue to guide the company, and are committed to organic farming, which helps keep consumers and the environment healthy by avoiding the use of harmful chemicals. Organic farming focuses on building the fertility of the soil with natural materials, resulting in rich, vital field ecosystems that produce fruits and vegetables as pure and healthy as they were intended to be.

The Farm Stand in Carmel Valley, offers unique organic produce and flowers fresh from the fields.  Visit the Organic kitchen for delicious food, shop for organic groceries, or stop by for one of the many family events help throughout the year.

We do our best to reduce our environmental impact. In 2008 alone, our organic farming on about 40,000 acres will:

• avoid use of over 367,000 pounds of toxic and persistent pesticides;
• avoid use of nearly 12.4 million pounds of synthetic fertilizers;
• conserved an estimated 2 million gallons of petroleum by avoiding the use of petroleum-based pesticides and fertilizers; and
• fight global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, at an estimated rate equivalent to taking more than 7,700 cars off the road.

A catalyst for positive change

Challenging the conventional is part of Earthbound Farm’s culture. To be a catalyst for positive change, we’ve challenged a lot of conventional thinking. From the beginning, we’ve worked to produce the healthiest food possible and have a positive effect on our environment; that’s meant fundamentally changing the way food is farmed. With the growth of our business, Earthbound Farm has shown that organic farming can, indeed, feed millions.

We’ve also questioned conventional wisdom about farming with fossil fuels. Earthbound Farm now uses biodiesel in our farm equipment and new company vehicles, and most of our partner farmers are converting their farming equipment, too. Clean-burning biodiesel drastically reduces ozone-depleting carbon emissions and uses fewer non-renewable resources. (To learn more about the benefits of biodiesel, go to www.biodiesel.org.)

And in the critical area of food safety, we’ve challenged ourselves to develop next-generation standards to ensure the safety of our produce. The time for change is now, and under the guidance of the nation’s top food safety specialists, we’ve made important progress. To read about Earthbound Farm’s unparalleled food safety program, visit our Quality and Food Safety page.

In everything we do at Earthbound Farm — farming, energy efficiency, environmental protection, food safety, contributing to our communities — we’re serious about our role as a catalyst for positive change. We’re constantly striving to do more and do better, because what we do today leaves a legacy for the generations that follow.