Grove Fruit Growers
Vendor
I am an Idaho native who lived in Taiwan for 8 years while my husband worked for Micron. During his work assignment in Taiwan we visited Cambodia. We were shocked to see the level of poverty in Cambodia, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. To help provide jobs we bought a mango farm, we hired an internationally educated agronomist and we have been providing jobs there for 4 years. We had issues finding markets for our fruit during COVID so we partnered with a drying company to have our fruit dried so we can try to sell it in the US. If we are able to sell at Capital City Market 100% of funds will go to provide jobs for people working on our farm.
Integrated Pest Management Non Gmo Permaculture Design Cover Crops No Till
We are certified in Good Agriculture Practices, and we farm sustainably. We use no-till practices and cover crops to retain moisture in the soil. We plant black beans between our mango trees to nitrogen fix the soil. We use compost and minimal chemical fertilizers. We manage pests by minimizing pesticides to avoid contaminating soils.
After our fruit is grown and ready, we send it to a dried fruit company to dry and pack. The fruit dryer and packer has GMP, HACCP and ISO standards.
I am Coree, the farm owner from Boise, but our entire staff are Cambodian farmers managed by our agronomist Vanna. Vanna was orphaned at 7 years old when his parents and his siblings were killed by the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge then took him to a work camp where he was responsible for caring for two cows where he lived alone outside. Eventually, the Khmer Rouge were overthrown, and Vanna went to live in a Buddhist temple. Vanna learned to read and write in the temple. He was selected as a high achieving student and given the opportunity to travel internationally and obtain a degree in agronomy. Vanna's picture is shown here. He's had a hard life and our farm supports him with a well-paying job and give his kids access to education.
Vanna produces mango at our farm using the sustainable farming methods mentioned above, then we send to a drying factory for drying and packing. By giving us the opportunity to sell our fruit in the Capital City Market, you are enabling us to provide incomes and access to education for our entire farm staff and seasonal workers in one of the poorest countries.
