The Sisters Market

Sisters Sunshine & Citrus

Story by Natalie Caudle | Photos provided by The Sisters Market

Nestled in the heart of the Central Valley sits the Peltzer farm; rows of orange and yellow citrus thriving under the California sun. For five generations the farm has been a family operation, managed by brothers as their children played at their feet, learning the trade. The farmers’ daughters, Elise, Emily, and Jenna sprouted alongside the citrus crops, getting dirt beneath their nails while bonding in a way only family can.

It is often said that good things come in threes and the Peltzer girls are no exception. Elise and Emily, born as twins, grew up three miles down the road from their cousin, Jenna Allison, who was born just three weeks after the duo. The proximity of space and age made for easy friendships. The three feel more like sisters than two sisters + a cousin. Jenna smiles as she remembers their childhood. “We’ve always acted like sisters, fought like sisters, grew up like sisters.”

Life pushed Elise, Emily, and Jenna in different directions, but in 2019 they felt the call to return home. “We had this pull back to our roots—we couldn’t escape it; there is something so nostalgic to having that connection with our roots,” Jenna remarks. “We love being a part of our family’s story. Our family works hard to do what they do.” It was time for the girls to put their stamp on the family business and introduce a fresh twist to produce sales.

After a little brainstorming, the ladies decided to create a way to get ripe, juicy fruit into the consumer’s hands with efficiency. Fruit stands and farmers' markets offer hometown produce, but the larger, more corporate supermarkets ship in fruit internationally. Jenna (a self-proclaimed “produce snob”) remarks on the blessing of the local soil. “People in the Central Valley don’t realize what they have until they move away. There is nothing like the Central Valley and all of its bounty; so delicious and so fresh.” Most of the nation doesn’t know the authentic flavor of a freshly-picked orange: the sweetness, the zest, the ease of the peel. Elise, Emily, and Jenna set out to bring a little flavor to the table.

The Sisters Market was slated to launch in the fall of 2020. But when the pandemic hit and shops were shuttered, the girls took a plunge and opened their online business in March of 2020. While most people were trying to make sense of new patterns and expectations, Elise, Emily, and Jenna were busy taking orders and building boxes full of bright citrus.

As a farm-direct enterprise, the fruit isn’t picked until the day it ships. Customers receive a custom-designed box full of hand-picked California citrus, stone fruit, or berries directly to their door. The Sisters Market has linked up with local businesses to create seasonal boxes; tea, Valley honey, and gourmet popcorn are beautifully packaged alongside nature’s sweetest, freshest picks of produce.

Customers are spread far and wide with a large majority in the Midwest and on the East Coast. A favorite customer is Kalin Sheick of SweetWater Floral in Michigan. “When I buy from these ladies, I can guarantee an incredibly fresh product, and I’m supporting a family-owned and operated business that deserves all the success in the world,” says Sheick joyfully. “Living where winter is long, their citrus is like a bright spot in our dreary winter days. Plus, I’m convinced it shortens our colds!” Sheick’s exuberance is echoed on the national stage by another big fan, Ina Garten.

“There is something so nostalgic to having that connection with our roots, we love being a part of our family’s story.”

Jenna Allison

Jenna, Emily, and Elise with their fathers.

Garten is known for her culinary expertise, cookbooks, and the ever-popular show, Barefoot Contessa, on the Food Network. Living on the East Coast, Garten longed for fresh farm-to-table produce and ordered from The Sisters Market. The three entrepreneurs were in shock. Jenna remembers, “We packed that box with the utmost care and wrote her a note saying, ‘We love you! Big fans!” Much to their surprise, Garten wrote back and a foodie friendship began. In December of 2021, Garten recommended The Sisters Market to her followers. The shout-out featured on sheknows.com and later picked up by Yahoo! gave the girls a run for their money. “We had 900 people on our site at one time; we got so many orders,” remembers Jenna. “We had a team of 10-15 people working sunup to sundown, boxes upon boxes. It was insanity, good insanity. We went viral. It was exhausting in the best possible way. A magical moment in time.”

This trio is full of grace and grit, having endured both the beautiful and the hard. Elise faced excruciating pain when her husband was in a fatal accident just days before she began the process of a heart transplant. The family rallied together and supported Elise through her darkest and most challenging days.

After handling life’s highs and lows, the girls have again spread their wings and established their own roots in new spaces—the three “sisters” now live apart, with one near the farm, one in southern California, and the third out of state. Despite the miles, the texting and talking never stops. The three are inseparably linked as they build a legacy, one fresh-picked bite at a time.