What We Do

The composition of our Advisory Board and paid work team reflects Esperanza Community Farms members and regional supporters who have demonstrated full-family dedication to the overall health of the Pajaro Valley.

We stand for a holistic and inclusive approach to using our current assets, personal experiences, and collective skills to understand the conditions in which we live in order to transform them in the direction of financially- accessible, organic, and high-quality produce, as a transformative aspect of living fully healthy lives.

All advisors were CSA box recipients in the first two years of the program. Membership ranges from very-low income to middle income, from monolingual Spanish-speaking to Native English & bilingual, and from formally educated to primary school education completion. We are intentional in our search for members who are diverse in the many different aspects that our program addresses, including diagnosis of diabetes, parenthood, professional roles in positions of power/authority, and race.

Location

Here’s where our farm is located. Click on the map to get directions and plan your visit.

Farm hours are:
Monday – Friday: 7 AM–3 PM
Saturday & Sunday: Closed.

Office hours are:

Monday – Friday: 9 AM–5 PM
Saturday & Sunday: Closed.

Google Maps

Meet the Team

Farmer Co-Leader
Descendant of the Maya-Indigenous Tz’utujil people.Native speaker of Tz’utujil. Originally from Guatemala, from the Central American town of Tz’unun Ya’. Peasant farmer. Technician in construction drawing design. Member and co-leader of the leadership team of the Tz’unun Ya’ Agroecological Group. Has worked as an administrator and salesperson. Co-founder of the group alongside Agricultural Engineer Devik Joswe Chavajay González, to whom he owes his training and experience in organic and sustainable agriculture.Committed to implementing good agricultural practices that are environmentally sustainable, economically viable, and socially acceptable.Farmer -Co-leader

Member Engagement Specialist
With a background in Industrial Engineering and a diploma in International Business Management, I bring a global perspective and a deep appreciation for community-driven work to my role. Having lived in Mexico, Canada, and now the U.S., I’ve had the privilege of working in diverse industries and multicultural environments that have shaped my approach to collaboration, communication, and care. I’m excited to apply everything I’ve learned to support our members and uplift the mission of ECF. I’m passionate about creating meaningful connections, sharing the value of healthy, culturally relevant food, and contributing to a more just and sustainable food system. I’m fluent in Spanish and English, love all things tech, and have a creative side that shows up in makeup and graphic design. One day, I hope to launch my own business. I truly believe that every step of my journey has led me here and I’m grateful to be part of this inspiring community!

Finances
I am from Honduras, with an academic background in business administration, a master’s degree in finance, and a diploma in tax administration. I am the mother of a girl and a boy. I am committed to economic recovery in fair and sustainable agriculture, supporting and developing financial education on farms. I run my own administrative services business. I like cooking and gardening, and I am a nature lover. I am supportive and enthusiastic about policies that prioritize social justice and equity.

Administrative Coordinator
I’ve lived in Watsonville for almost 25 years and I’m passionate about contributing to my community. I’ve always had an interest in agriculture and I’m enthusiastic about bringing my administrative and customer relations experience to this opportunity at ECF to work towards food justice and community empowerment.

Farmer Technical Assistance Program Manager
Sandy is a committed community member with a diverse background. She has worked in blackberry picking and runs her own business, Sandy’s Daycare. Before motherhood, she worked as an accounting assistant, administrative assistant, and credit and collections at various companies. Bringing her kindness and organizational skills, Sandy is now part of the Esperanza Community Farms team, intending to contribute her experience for the common good and promote good values in her community.

Basket Production and Delivery Coordinator
My name is Herlindo Ramírez, and I’m originally from San Martín Peras, Oaxaca. I moved to Watsonville, California, 28 years ago with my wife Regina, and we have four children. Since 1999, I’ve been involved with the Casa de la Cultura, where I discovered my passion for reading and studying human relations. I also participated in diabetes prevention with Salud Para La Gente, worked as a Spanish-to-Mixteco interpreter, and collaborated with the United Farm Workers and the WIC program. I enjoy walking in nature and listening to alternative rock music.

Executive Director
I am a mother of two curious and fun children and I have three sisters. I’ve lived in Watsonville, California for almost 30 years and my favorite thing about living here is the passion & pride of the predominantly Latino community as well as the work ethic of a culturally diverse small rural city. As a little girl I grew up working alongside my farm laborer parents in the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Coast in California. I think I inherited my mom’s green thumb because I landed very naturally in the agriculture sector and I love everything about it. I studied at UC Santa Cruz and received my BA in Sociology with a minor in education. After 27 years of working in the regional nonprofit sector, I found my professional niche as a Language and Cultural Consultant. At Esperanza Community Farms I am able to practice my values of interdependence, dignity, and joy for all. Most of all I enjoy the farm’s focus on family and the invitation to connect more deeply with people and the earth. At Esperanza I’m able to combine my personal interests, professional goals, and my vision for a healthy community.

Samantha Cruz Communications & Marketing

Communications & Marketing
Inspired by nature, music, and laughter, I go through life creating and doing my job for any business or person that needs good publicity or design. I studied communication sciences in Mexico City, and I have a bachelor’s in communication sciences. Having a great interest in advertising and audiovisual production. I infinitely believe that teamwork does wonderful things.

Board of Directors & Advisors

Ramiro Medrano

Board Member
He is a Watsonville native and lifetime educator. He worked in PVUSD and UC Santa Cruz for nearly 15 years combined, promoting college and supporting some of the most vulnerable families and students through the educational system. He helped establish multiple community gardens in PVUSD schools, as well as the Farm2Cafeteria project at PVHS. He now works in Salinas, CA, as a high school counselor, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.
Lucila Sanchez

Board Member
I was born and raised in Watsonville where I continue to live with my husband and our four kids. Growing up, my parents worked in the fields and canneries to support my five siblings and I. I spent the first years of my life living on a ranch where my father cared for farm animals and harvested various crops, and my mother kept plants throughout the house. I developed my sense of family and social justice as well as my relationship with nature because of them. Today, I’m happy to be joining ECF.
Tom Bentley

Board Member
Tom Bentley lives with his wife and two kids in Watsonville. He’s a high school teacher and is currently teaching and running an agriculture program at Soquel High. Besides serving on ECF’s advisory board, he is also involved with the Center for Farmworker Families’ Campaign for Organic Regenerative Agriculture (CORA). Tom loves enjoying time with his friends and family, especially outdoor activities like camping, surfing, swimming in lakes and rivers, and golfing.
Emiko Stewart

Boad Member
Personal health and wellbeing is very connected to the nutrition in food we consume.
I wish for everyone to have access to fresh produce especially in the Pajaro and Salinas Valleys as we are a major farm working community.
Noemí Romo

Board Member
My deep love and respect for the people of Pajaro motivates me to work with Esperanza Community Farms to fulfill its mission.
This community that provides our country with produce deserves economic justice, as well as fresh and local organic produce cultivated and with their health at the center of our commitment.
Ana Rasmussen

Founder & Advisor
For more than 30 years Ana has worked toward social justice and increased equity in Santa Cruz County—in health care, public education, food justice, and land access. She is grateful for the daily opportunities to learn and grow in relationships with people from backgrounds, traditions, strengths, and lived-experience different than my own. Ana is the mother of two 30-something sons who live locally, and a companion to one affectionate, beloved dog.
Guillermo Lázaro

Advisor
I am originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, and a father of two teenagers. Since I was little I was raised in a farming environment. After 12 years as a farm laborer I became curious about becoming a grower and wondered about the possibility of working for myself. In 2018 I entered an intensive 4-year organic farming training program and I received my Certified Organic Farmer certificate. I’ve lived in the Salinas Valley, also referred to as the Salad Bowl of the country, for 21 years.
Alma Leonor-Sanchez

Advisor
I am proud to have roots in Watsonville, CA where I was born and raised, and in Jalisco, Mexico. I am a graduate of Pajaro Valley High School and a current student at Cabrillo College. I will soon obtain my Bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Cruz in Environmental Studies. I like to read, write poetry, enjoy the outdoors, and spend time with family. I am passionate about the intersections of food justice, climate/environmental justice, and social justice in my community, and healing my(our) relationship to the land.
Olga Medrano

Advisor
Olga Medrano came to Watsonville as an immigrant at the age of 35. She has worked in early childhood education for many years.
Olga has been an Esperanza Community Farms CSA member from the beginning. She is a mother to three adult children and grandmother to one.
Paco Serrano

Advisor
I was born in Mexico City where a surreal air flows through the streets, creating amazing stories and pictures. That air inspires me every day in my work as an editor and cinematographer and motivates me to keep learning every day in order to bring the best quality to the projects.
I love photography, music, and movies. I’m a foodie and a fan of tea. I’m a dog lover and I love to do drone photography as a hobby.

Become a Sponsor

We are proud to receive funding from individual donors, foundations, and government grants that contribute to our vision for localizing a just food system in Pajaro and Salinas Valleys, on the California Central Coast. Their support is essential to our work.