he Martin Family carries on a tradition of sun-drying fruit, which has its roots in Italy. It was there that Josephine Martin’s Grandfather (Salvador Cirrincione) learned the art of drying fruit in the sun. He later immigrated to California where he found the climate and soil to be similar to his homeland and ideal for growing and drying fruit. Salvador, and later his son, Dominic, farmed in the fertile Santa Clara Valley. The impending urbanization of Santa Clara Valley led Josephine’s father (Dominic) to the San Joaquin Valley and to Patterson, a small town in the heart of the Central Valley of California. Here they continued the art of dried fruit production.

After Josephine married her husband Joe, they took over the family business and eventually expanded into retail and catalogue sales. With an abundance of fresh and dried apricots available, they developed a line of gourmet apricot products uniquely labeled, “Elegant Apricot”. After entering the world of specialty foods, the Martin’s discovered an intriguing item -- Sun-Dried Tomatoes. The sun-dried tomato has become an ever increasing part of the business.

Today Martin Farms sells specialty foods to industrial, food service, grocery and retail outlets throughout the United States.

Martin Farms is located on a 40-acre parcel in Patterson, California. Their facility is one of the few sun drying companies with a completely fenced and paved drying area that helps protect their product from foreign contamination. With state of the art technology, HACCP, Pest management and Quality Assurance programs in place, Martin Farms can guarantee a safe and clean product. The season usually runs from June to October. Martin Farms employs approximately 100 people during peak season. October through June is concentrated to the secondary dried fruit processing and sales.