History
Originally known as Scotts Valley Mushroom, the Fitz family has
been growing mushrooms for close to 80 years. Fitz Fresh is among the most experienced and environmentally
conscious mushroom farms in California. The Fitz family’s
experience with mushroom farming originates as far back as the
mid-1920’s when a patriarch of the Fitz family started a
mushroom farm in Los Altos, California. The success of this
young farm prompted an expansion into Santa Cruz and later into
the Scotts Valley area. By 1969, Fitz Fresh was established in
Watsonville, California where current operations remain today.
In the past 26 years, owner, Patrick Fitz has revitalized the
farm resulting in a quadrupling of production through innovation
and increased efficiency. Fitz Fresh produces three distinct
varieties of mushrooms: white button, crimini, and portabella
mushrooms. The business operates on 20 acres of its own farmland. The implementation
of meticulous handling techniques and the proactive execution of
environmentally conservative procedures set Fitz Fresh apart
from their competition.
How Mushrooms are Harvested
Unlike large
corporate farms, Fitz Fresh is a direct harvest farm. The
mushrooms are hand picked directly from the surface of the peat
moss layer, trimmed and quality inspected before being placed in
the container in which they are sold. This technique allows the
quality of each mushroom to be preserved through the packing and
shipping process. In an effort to maximize quality control, each
carton of mushrooms produced on the farm receives a unique
barcode number. This practice provides a tracking and receiving
system, which provides full accountability of each member of the
Fitz Fresh team, ensuring the safety of the finished product.
By 10:00 every morning the harvested mushrooms are sold to long-time Fitz Fresh customers,
a testament to the service and quality of mushrooms produced on
the farm. |