Author Archives: rpessagno

About the Farm

Posted on March 12, 2018

Carpinteria is known as the Avocado Capital of the United States, and for very good reasons. We’re situated within a perfect microclimate, where the temperate Pacific coast meets the rich Santa Ynez mountain valley—the perfect location for growing supremely delicious fruit.

AvoGanic began as a wholesome and straightforward idea: deliver the best locally grown organic avocados and Meyer lemons to health conscious customers. In our Tree-To-Table model, we hold the fruit on our trees longer than any conventional producer, which guarantees a superior and more nutritious oil content and heartier fruit picked just 2-4 days prior to arriving to your table or to our retailer. AvoGanic fruit are so fresh and healthy! Most conventional avocados are 21-28 days old, picked prematurely, and ripened with ethylene gas. That’s why AvoGanic fruit is quality you can taste! AvoGanic knows how important timing is when it comes to being able to fully enjoy the unique fruit’s taste and texture.

The foundation of AvoGanic begins with our nutrient-rich soil, which is full of great compost and microorganisms. The avocado tree has shallow root systems. The top six inches of the soil are the most important. If you were to dig a hole anywhere in our orchards, you would find first a layer of mulch and underneath it decomposing organic material. Beneath that you would find beautiful loamy soil. This is all very important to have happy/healthy trees and delicious fruit. We don’t use any synthetic fertilizers or harsh pesticides. When we do have to spray for pest control, we use a fatty acid soap called Safer-Soap. AvoGanic thrives by working with our surrounding wildlife, and ecosystem to nurture a farm that promotes biodiversity. Our feral cats, owls and raptors aid in rodent control, our abundance of buzzing hives and honey bees pollinate our beautiful trees, and our beneficial (also known as predatory) insects battle and help control pest breakouts. Because we maintain and promote a healthy ecosystem in our avocado orchards, we have strong disease and pest-resistant trees.

We also strive to be exemplary eco-friendly stewards of the land. Being in an arid climate of California and growing sub-tropical avocado trees that require irrigation, water resources must be handled with care and conservation. By smart rainwater harvesting, aggressively mulching and using a variable speed pump on our well, we have cut our water use in half. Decades ago, we took great care to select the right property to develop—one with a good water source for our well. Carpinteria is blessed with a stable aquifer and we have not had to lower the pump on our well, even at the height of drought conditions.

The Van Wingerden family has a long history of farming, spanning six generations. Working the land and animal husbandry is part of our DNA. Ivan Van Wingerden, like generations of Van Wingerden’s before him, grew up in the farming tradition, and has years of agricultural experience and eagerly participates in ongoing developments, adopting leading edge and sustainable farming practices.

At AvoGanic, we are dedicated to offering the very best market avocados and Meyer lemons for all that we grow and stand behind our promise of offering the most healthy and delicious fruit of unsurpassed quality. We very much look forward to sending you your own box of AvoGanic certified organic, California-grown avocados and Meyer lemons. There is no doubt that you will taste the AvoGanic difference!

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Meet the Founders

Meet the Founders

Posted on February 12, 2018

Hello Friends! We’re Ivan and Kristin, founders of AvoGanic. Thank you for taking the time to visit our site!

We are a grower and supplier of organic avocados on the sunny coastal Valley of Carpinteria, California. AvoGanic began as a wholesome and straightforward idea: deliver the best locally grown organic avocados to health-conscious customers around the USA.

Ivan is a third-generation Carpinteria nursery grower and has deep roots in the family tradition of growing and selling flowers, avocados, and working the family farms. Growing food and flowers is in his DNA!

Kristin, Ivan’s wife and college sweetheart, brings her wholesome upbringing, educational background in Soil Science, and her previous career as an Environmental Scientist to the AvoGanic team. Kristin is known at the “Dirt Diva” in the family.

Ivan and Kristin live at the family ranch in Carpinteria, California with their children, two dogs, two goats, a few pigs and backyard chickens.

Together, Ivan and Kristin believe that fresh and delicious California organic avocados should be available to everyone—and not just at our local Farmers Markets. We developed a Tree-To-Table model where we handpick and deliver our avocados to order so you (our customers) are guaranteed the highest quality and freshest avocados on the marketplace. We are happy to be able to share our superior fruit from our trees with you and always appreciate your support for organic and sustainable farming practices.

We pledge to provide the very best organic avocados on the market and stand behind our promise to deliver the freshest and most delicious fruit of unsurpassed quality!

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