From 1 acre as student to 28 greenhouses, 500 customers: Meet Juan Perez

Juan Perez did not set out to become a farmer when he enrolled at California State University, Monterey Bay. Yet a series of summer internships helped him discover a career that brought together his interest in science, his family’s farming experience and a desire to build something of his own. What began with a single leased acre has grown into J&P Organics, a family-run organic farm in California’s Salinas Valley. Today, the business grows fresh produce on 10 acres and supplies weekly farm boxes to more than 500 local customers.A student turned 1 acre land into a California family farm Perez’s journey into farming began with uncertainty about his future. His father, Pablo, had spent decades working on farms, and Juan had occasionally worked alongside him.