A fifth-generation farmer, Daniel Wilson is part of a California pear legacy that dates back to his grandfather, Darrell Mealer, who began raising them in 1917 on Andrus Island in the Sacramento Delta. Why did Daniel decide to continue the family’s farming heritage?

“I suppose you could argue the weather chose my profession,” he chuckles. “I came home from college with an Engineering degree to help my dad during the drought of 1976 and 1977 and never left.”

On a more serious note, Daniel enjoys the challenge of farming – of producing food and employment for people – as well as the fact that “farming is never boring.”

Today, his ranches remain in the Sacramento Delta region near Walnut Grove, where he grows Bosc, Star Crimson and Rivermaid Red pear varieties. At one time, his family had grown the popular Bartlett variety, but now focuses on pears that represent fresh fruit rather than canned.

“We are a fresh fruit company,” he proudly says.

In addition to sustaining the same land – and in many cases, the same trees – that produced for his ancestors, Daniel still operates a packing shed on Andrus Island. The perfect pear climate and abundant water are among the reasons his operations continue to flourish.

As Daniel welcomes his grandson, Timmy, into the family business (representing the family’s seventh generation in farming), he reflects on what he enjoys most about working with Rivermaid Trading Company.

“Rivermaid is always growing and improving,” he says. “Every year a significant effort is put into improving quality for the customer and returns for the grower, and great attention is put into food safety.”

A fourth-generation farmer, David continues a family legacy that began with the farming of row crops in California’s Yolo County. He graduated with a degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University, and after working in the technology and alternative energy fields, returned to his farming roots in 1993 to manage the Quercus Ranch in Kelseyville, California.

“Somehow I always knew I’d come back to farming,” David says. “Not only is it in my blood, but I find it endlessly interesting.”

Pears, in particular, have always held David’s interest. In 2000, he started Bella Vista Farming Company which today manages over 1,200 acres of pears and wine grapes, including 450 acres of Bartlett pears.

David appreciates the versatility of pears, which can be consumed as juice, dried, canned or fresh. Pears are a special fruit requiring a special climate in which to grow, and Lake County, California, has it.

“It’s one of the world’s best places to grow pears,” David says. “Plus, it allows me to make my home in Northern California — one of the greatest slices of earth to live in!”

When he’s not managing his ranches, David likes to spend time with his family enjoying the Bay Area. He and his wife also like to collect Arts and Crafts furniture.

Robert’s father was a farmworker who labored in the fields of the Sacramento Delta for over 40 years. As a child, Robert worked alongside his father on weekends and summer vacations, creating “fond memories of honorable and rewarding work” while laying the foundation for a lifelong career in farming.

“I decided this was the way I wanted to earn a living and where I wanted to raise a family,” he says. “I’m proud to be a first-generation farmer.”

Robert and his wife now grow Bartlett and Red Pears and Bing Cherries on their 80-acre ranch. Their crop is thriving, thanks to the soil and climate that have made the Delta so productive for over a century, as well as innovative farming practices such as tree training techniques, unconventional spacing, development of new varieties and growing techniques and more.

Robert joined the Rivermaid Trading Company family over 25 years ago, knowing he would be part of a “growing, forward-thinking, family-oriented company.” What does he enjoy most about his career?

“Rivermaid gives me the opportunity to share my farming passion and knowledge with other growers, as well as my three daughters and young grandchildren,” he says. “It’s my legacy to them.”

When he’s not in the orchard, Robert enjoys fishing and extended camping trips with his extended family.

Randy Ruddick is a fourth-generation pear grower, continuing a family farming tradition begun by his great-grandfather on a five-acre parcel of land.

Today, that parcel is home to Randy’s 270-acre operation. Some of the original trees planted by his ancestors are still producing and, according to Randy, produce some of the best quality fruit he’s ever tasted.

“There’s nothing cooler than picking a piece of fruit right off a tree and eating it,” says Randy. “It’s something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime.”

Alongside his parents, sister, wife and teenage daughters, Randy grows a wide variety of pears with a commitment to quality made even more special by the fact that there are only about 40 pear farms left in California – each one family owned and operated.

“To produce something in the ground that has been in the family for so long is a very special and rare thing,” says Randy. “When you buy our pears, you know you’re eating a piece of fruit grown with a rich heritage and a lot of heart.”