People

Michael Arata and 1 full-time employee

Farmland

30 acres in Byron, about 60 miles to San Francisco

About

Farmer Mike Arata has been farming for over 50 years. He now owns and manages Arata Farms in Contra Costa County. Both of his grandparents immigrated from Italy and began farming in 1918, making Mike a third-generation farmer. Mike practices conventional farming while integrating organic practices when possible. From the warm-summer Mediterranean climate of Byron, California, Arata Farms brings a variety of fruit to the farmers market, including plums, cherries, and their longest-standing offerings of figs and peaches. Some of their peaches were picked from trees that were planted over 50 years ago.