Our Farm to School program provides high-quality, locally sourced ingredients from across the state of California.
Without these farmers and providers, our students would not have access to the outstanding food they enjoy everyday.
Soil Born Farms - Urban Agriculture & Education Project
Rancho Cordova, CA
Soil Born Farms, located in Rancho Cordova, California, is a non-profit urban farm dedicated to cultivating a healthier and more sustainable community through organic farming, education, and food access programs. The Central Kitchen and Soil Born Farms have leveraged a CDFA Farm to School Grant to expand lettuce production at the farm, specifically to serve our SCUSD students’ salad bars. By fostering a deep connection to the land and providing fresh, organic produce, Soil Born Farms plays a vital role in promoting food security and ecological awareness in the Sacramento region.
Youngstown Peaches
Reedley, CA
We’re thrilled to add Youngstown’s Distributors to our Farm to School Program. Youngstown’s family farm in Reedley, California, is often called the “Picnic Basket of the World” because all of the incredible tree fruit found in the area. For generations the family has grown delicious stone fruits and is committed to always harvesting their fruit at the peak of the season ensuring the very best flavor. Seasonally, our menus feature some of their fresh peaches grown in next door Kingsburg, CA, just three hours from The Central Kitchen!
True Origin Foods
West Sacramento, CA
True Origin Foods was created by two farmers who believe caring for the land and the people who tend to it should be core fundamentals to the foods we enjoy. Grown, milled and packaged just miles outside of Sacramento, True Origin Foods’ Quick Cooking Brown Rice provides the best tasting, most flavorful option for our menus. True Origin Foods rice, beans and popcorn are found at some of the region’s top restaurants, arenas and grocery shelves. Every bag has a Partner ID number better connecting the customer to the grower.
SunFed Ranch 100% Grass Fed Beef
Woodland, CA
SunFed Ranch, with ranches located north of Sacramento, brings over 150 years of ranching and passion to the plate. They delivers locally produced, consistently delicious grass-fed beef that’s better for our environment and better for our health. Their cattle are 100% grass fed and 100% grass finished, always treated with the highest level of care and dignity. To celebrate Farm-to-Fork Week, we included scratch made SunFed Ranch BBQ braised beef short ribs on our middle and high school menus.
Dos Pisano's Bakery
Concord, CA
Dos Pisano’s Bakery, founded in 2022, is committed to delivering the highest quality gourmet food products using “old world” artisan techniques. The bakery emphasizes sustainability, sourcing ingredients from regenerative farms and avoiding antibiotics, hormones, preservatives, or artificial colors. Specializing school food service, Dos Pisano’s shares our values of student wellness by providing high-quality food. We’re proud to have their croissants and baguettes on our menu.
HMC Farms
Kingsburg, CA
We are thrilled to feature HMC Farms’ premium green table grapes on our seasonal menus. Since 1887, HMC has been known for their exceptional quality and commitment to sustainable farming, and today bringing the finest produce from their family-owned vineyards from just outside Fresno, CA.
Grimmway Farms
Bakersfield, CA
Headquartered in Bakersfield, California, Grimmway Farms started as a produce stand opened by the Grimm Brothers. Today, they are the world’s largest producer of carrots maintaining the commitment to principles planted by their founders. We’re thrilled to include their carrots throughout the year on our salad bars and in our entrees.
Vierra Farms
West Sacramento, CA
Vierra Farms’ produce is harvested for flavor, not for long-distance packing and shipping. Picked with freshness, nutrition and flavor in mind we can taste the difference in their sweet and crisp produce. Featured in season, their black watermelon – a true fan favorite – has been a shining star on our elementary salad bars.
Capay Valley Farm Shop
Esparto, CA
Farmer and community-owned food hub, Capay Valley Farm Shop, serves the best local bounty. As a values-driven food hub they source delicious food from 40 small and mid-scale sustainable family farms. Offering a wide array of items ranging from fruits and vegetables, flowers, herbs, nuts and grains, they also provide meats, olive oils, pastured eggs and honey from local Capay Valley famers and ranchers. We love seeing their in-season Sungold tomatoes on our elementary salad bars.
Maywood Farms
Corning, CA
Maywood Farms is a family-owned, California Certified Organic Fresh (CCOF) grower of some our most delicious figs. Our elementary salad bars will feature their Black Mission Figs, which are known for their deep purple color and rich honey flavor.
Highland Orchard, Inc.
Penryn, CA
Highland Orchard, located in Penryn, CA is home to a nearly perfect climate for growing delicious citrus thanks to the balance of hot days and wonderfully cool nights in addition to the soft, sweet water produced from Sierra Mountains snow melt.
Highland Orchard provides the Owari Satsuma Mandarin for The Central Kitchen, with peak season between mid-November through mid-January. These seedless mandarins have an easy-to-peel skin and are deliciously sweet. Picked just the day before delivery, these are the sweetest mandarins you will ever taste!
Stillwater Orchards
Courtland, CA
Stillwater Orchards has been located in the Sacramento River Delta region since 1860. Stillwater Orchards, is a grower, packer, and shipper of fresh pears, apples, kiwifruit, and cherries. Stillwater Orchards is known for growing some of the most flavorful and highest quality pears. Grown in the rich soils of the Sacramento River Delta, this family farm has a commitment to growing and caring for the fruit and the land, and serving some of the most delicious fruit available.
“We are so grateful to be able to supply a nutritious, wholesome and delicious piece of fruit for Sacramento school children to enjoy.”
– Richard Elliot, Sr., owner, Stillwater Orchards
Six O’Clock Farm
West Sacramento, CA
Six O’Clock Farm is an urban farm located in West Sacramento. They are certified organic and supply their organic heirloom tomatoes and cucumber varieties featured throughout our school salad bars.
La Tapatia
Fresno, CA
Locally grown, and using only premium ingredients from the heart of California, La Tapatia has been producing authentic, delicious Mexican food products for over 50 years. Their incredible tortillas can be found on our menus featured in our wraps and burritos.
Fresh Innovations & Prize Slice
Stockton, CA
Located in Stockton, Fresh Innovation’s mission is to provide great tasting and convenient ways to eat fresh. Their sliced apples are offered throughout our menus, including on salad bars, in our pre-packed supper meals and in our breakfast bars!
FatCat Bakery
Sacramento, CA
FatCat blends their passion for the finest all-natural ingredients with their commitment to sourcing local ingredients often from within a 50-mile radius of Sacramento. FatCat supports our menu through product offerings of cornbread, scones, and other baked goods.
“Partnering with a fantastic organization like SCUSD has only strengthened our core belief that school lunch should be nutritious, delicious and free.”
– Erik Finnerty, CEO & Founder, FatCat Bakery