Farmers Market

For four generations, Yosemite Foods Inc., a minority-owned company, has provided quality pork and meat products to wholesale and retail consumers, predominately among California’s Asian and Hispanic communities. Yosemite Foods, formerly Yosemite Meat Co., was started as a small mom and pop meat counter by an immigrant husband and wife couple in Modesto, CA, and has grown into a state-of-the-art USDA inspected processing company that employs over 250 individuals. In 2017, Steven and Michael Lau, sons of the original founders, purchased land on Mariposa Road in Stockton and revamped a 200,000 sq. ft. facility into a state-of-the-art meat processing facility. With a focus on humane handling and sustainability practices, the CO2 transcritical heat recovery system employed by the plant is the largest in the world. Yosemite Foods currently processes and ships meat to restaurants, grocery stores, and ethnic markets throughout California and other Western states, as well as internationally to Mexico, Philippines, Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Korea, and China.

As a family-owned and operated business, Yosemite Foods takes pride in staying involved in the community. Community wellbeing is one of the core commitments for Yosemite Foods. Given that Stockton is a designated area of high poverty and high unemployment, Yosemite Foods offers desirable wages and employment opportunities. Their non-management salary is 34 percent above average Stockton per capita income, and average hourly wages are 53 percent above California’s minimum wage. Though 2020 brought with it many challenges and surprises, the management team at Yosemite Foods worked tirelessly to ensure that their employees could continue working safely and efficiently, employing COVID-19 protocols above and beyond industry expectations. Further, Yosemite Foods pushed forward with their commitment to the community by donating meat boxes to local food banks.

Yosemite Foods and others in the production industry face a diverse set of challenges to remain competitive in the local, regional, and national landscapes. These challenges include resource limitations, increased wages, higher input costs, and regulations.

Legislative changes can be particularly burdensome on business practices. For example, Proposition 12 was a ballot initiative passed by California voters in 2018 related to confinement practices of farm animals. Prop 12 will increase the costs of supplying pork and, thus, increase the price of pork as a dietary staple among the underserved ethnic communities. Prop 12 will make it more difficult, and in many ways improbable, to provide a healthy and safe protein source to people in California and is one of the major challenges facing Yosemite Foods in the days ahead.

For more information about Yosemite Foods Inc., or to inquire about purchasing meat products from Yosemite Foods, please contact Steven Lau at StevenL@yosemitefoods.com.

Modesto Farmers Market: Supporting The Community For Over 40 Years

The Modesto Certified Farmers Market is where the locals go for fresh produce, delicious food and unique artisan goods. In one convenient downtown location, you can support local farmers and take home healthy, nutritious vegetables and fruit.

The Modesto Certified Farmers Market began in 1970 from humble beginnings. A farmer, MJC Ag Instructor Mayor Peggy Mensinger brought fresh produce direct to the community long before “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” become a well-known phase. Over 40 years later, they are still giving back to the community. Every month they host family activities, such as kid’s crafts, give-a-ways, raffles and special Holiday events at the market. The activities they host are always free, they believe that the Farmers Market is for everyone. They are located on 16th Street between H Street and I Street, alongside the Stanislaus County Library in Downtown Modesto. The Market runs on Thursdays and Saturdays from 8:00am to 1:00pm. Please note there are no animals permitted at the market, except trained guide/service animals.

They are currently open from April 8th to October 28th, 2021.

For more information or become a vendor please contact modestocertifiedfarmersmarket@gmail.com or go to www. modestocfm.com.