Jacobs Farm del Cabo Sees High Demand for Organic Snacking Tomatoes and Specialty Peppers

With summer in full swing, Jacobs Farm del Cabo (JFDC), an organic grower-shipper headquartered in Pescadero, California, has a wide array of offerings.

“The feeling I get at JFDC during summer is ‘abundance’ as all of our delicious organic produce ramps up to meet demand!” said Dani Violante, Jacobs Farm del Cabo’s marketing and new product development manager.

Dani Violante, Marketing and New Product Development Manager, Jacobs Farm del Cabo

At this time of year, Violante said the company offers a number of organic produce options under its del Cabo label (from growers in Baja California and Baja California Sur), including cherry tomatoes, tomatoes on the vine, mini peppers, shishito and padrón peppers, and basil—“plus, our special guest this season, our incredible del Cabo mangos.”

From its California growing operations (marketed under the Jacobs Farm label), Violante said the company offers organic basil, local dry-farmed Early Girl tomatoes, squash, and an extensive portfolio of culinary herbs, including cilantro, dill, chives, Italian parsley, and spearmint.

“The feeling I get at JFDC during summer is ‘abundance’ as all of our delicious organic produce ramps up to meet demand!” - Dani Violante

“Our del Cabo and Jacobs Farm products are offered in combinations of clamshells, bulk, high-graphic bags, and plastic-free paper options,” Violante noted.

Jacobs Farm del Cabo organic cherry tomatoes, organic heirloom medley cherry tomatoes, and organic sugar plum grape tomatoes

When it comes to organic produce demand trends, Violante said snacking tomatoes are currently a hot commodity: “Demand is up more than ever—with plenty of competition, sometimes making the market full of opportunity and sometimes challenging.”

She said she’s also “seeing a ton of innovation in the pepper category, with lots of new varieties, colors, and flavors out there. And demand is high—we can’t keep enough stock of shishito peppers and mini sweet peppers.”

Fresh basil packing in Baja

Organic fresh herbs are one of JFDC’s calling cards, and Violante said they continue to explode in popularity. “The use of fresh herbs for flavor, health benefits, and garnish from recipe developers online and home cooks everywhere FLOODS my socials day in and day out—each more inspiring and mouth-watering than the next!” she said. “I am personally so inspired by the use of fresh herbs in recipes lately.”

“Demand [for organic snacking tomatoes] is up more than ever—with plenty of competition, sometimes making the market full of opportunity and sometimes challenging.” - Dani Violante

Violante said JFDC is keeping an eye on sustainability trends, including the new Regenerative Organic Certification and buzz surrounding “the flavor and environmental benefits of soil-grown products,” which she said JFDC can vouch for as all of the company’s offerings are grown in soil.  

Violante shared that a group from JFDC’s California team recently joined founders Larry Jacobs and Sandy Belin on a “spur-of-the-moment road trip” to the Baja Peninsula. “The takeaways and inspiration were immeasurable,” she said. “I personally started work at JFDC during the pandemic when travel was limited, and I was unsure of when I would ever get a chance to see our del Cabo operations in real life. During our six days on the road from Ensenada to San Jose del Cabo, we met with our farming groups and their families, saw (and tasted!) our products, talked about our challenges and opportunities as an organization, and I connected the dots of the story and mission I believe so much in.”

Jacobs Farm del Cabo team with the Belmonte Family in Ensenada. The younger generation of Belmontes all work for and support their families' operations.

Violante said there were a number of memorable takeaways from the trip, noting that she was inspired by the innovation and energy of new generations of farmers. “These young men and women are using their education and business savvy to bring new life to field-grown organic food,” she said.

“We saw some of our ClimateLab initiatives in action, including the use of vermicompost (or “worm compost”) systems to create compost and compost tea and organically strengthen our soil,” Violante shared, referring to a company-wide project JFDC started in 2020 to help its farmers become more resilient to climate challenges. 

“These young men and women are using their education and business savvy to bring new life to field-grown organic food.” - Dani Violante

“Finally, one of my favorite outcomes of the trip was my ability to capture an incredible amount of video footage to tell our story that I have already started sharing on our Instagram and TikTok,” Violante said.

Jacobs Farm del Cabo team visiting their basil fields in Santa Rosa, Baja California Sur, and growers Jose Luis and Sylvia

In 2021, del Cabo debuted a new eco-friendly packaging option—a home-compostable, paper-based clamshell—and Violante said it continues to perform well in the marketplace.

“Our del Cabo paperboard pint is still a favorite amongst eco-conscious consumers, and I’m so thrilled when they send us messages and handwritten letters sharing their support,” she said. “We offer organic cherry tomato varieties in our recyclable and home-compostable paperboard—and recently introduced our organic shishito peppers in the plastic-free pack, too.”

Dani Violante (right) and Sandra, Jacobs Farm del Cabo's co-founder looking at tomato color sorting in Baja

Despite its success, Violante noted that the paper-based clamshell doesn’t appeal to all customers and markets. “Not everyone is down for the plastic-free packaging quite yet—all for understandable reasons related to price point, merchandising challenges, and consumer preference,” she said. “Retailers know their customers better than anyone, and sometimes it’s simply not the right fit … yet! As the industry starts to embrace paper packaging more and more, our paperboard will be here!”

“Our del Cabo paperboard pint is still a favorite amongst eco-conscious consumers, and I’m so thrilled when they send us messages and handwritten letters sharing their support.” - Dani Violante

In fact, Violante said Jacobs Farm del Cabo has some new packaging and presentation options in the works, which it plans to debut at IFPA in Anaheim this fall. “Like many other organic produce companies, we are continuously in pursuit of limiting our use of plastic and developing eye-catching packaging that really tells—and sells—our unique and memorable story,” she said.