CHIP GEE-- Equipment Manager

Since 1995 Chip has built, maintained and often designed the equipment we use in the field. His equipment has helped us reach perfection. Chip has build, maintain, and often designed the equipment for D B Specialty Farms. Before and during field installation Chip oversees as many as 30 employees in order to have the equipment built and working properly for his department’s busiest time of year. As the farm’s acreage increases, Chip finds keeping up with the company’s rapidly expanding equipment needs.

Chip still loves eating strawberries and likes them best right out of the field or with shortcake and topped with whipped cream.

 

 

JOEY COELHO--General Assitant Manager

Joe's specialties include research and development, fumigation, state correspondence and crop management. Joe’s favorite parts of his job are the people that he works with and the atmosphere. He is constantly being faced with the challenges of new and changing regulations. A Cal Poly Graduate, he found an add for a position at DB Farms, applied, and started work in July of 2006.

Joe Likes his strawberries immediately picked right off the plant, or blended with vanilla ice cream.

 

 

ROGELIO MERCADO--- Growing Supervisor

Rogelio enjoys his multiple responsibilities of overseeing operations on all of the farm’s ranches, and having something different to do every day keeps him excited about the job. Rogelio finds that staying current with stringent government regulations has become increasingly difficult since he first started working in the strawberry business over twenty years ago.
Rogelio and his family agree that the best way to eat strawberries is fresh off of the plant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

JAVIER MALDONADO--Harvest Supervisor

With the ever-increasing acreage to oversee, Javier’s biggest challenge is to maximize productivity while maintaining the superior quality that DB Specialty Farms is known for. Javier began his job in the strawberry industry in 1991 when he began working for Daren at Santa Cruz Berry Farm. When Daren formed D B Specialty Farms in 1994, Javier joined him. As harvesting and Labor supervisor Javier is responsible for estimating and coordinating daily production for all of the farm's over 600 acres.

Javier and his wife, Leticia, have four daughters; Irene, Isabel and Melissa and Cindy. They like eating their strawberries fresh off of the plant, but also enjoy them with salt, lemon and Valentina (hot sauce).

 

 

 

 

 

GUILLERMO MALDONADO-- Safety Coordinator

Guillermo looks at every day on the job as a chance to both learn something new and to teach others. He says that keeping employees happy and maintaining a workforce for the ranch his most important responsibilities. It was in Oxnard while working for Saticoy Berry Farms where he met Daren who was working for the same company. When Daren moved to Santa Maria to start his own farm offered Guillermo to join him.

Guillermo and his wife, Beatriz, along with their tree children like making strawberry juice and eating strawberries with ice cream.

 

 

 

 

 

NANCY MACHUT --Office Manager

Nancy currently does payroll and personnel for as many as 1,500 employees at the season’s peak and shares an office network with six computers. Her desire for perfection is greatly appreciated. With out her farming over six hundred acres would quickly become the word's greatest nightmare. After working for a local PCA for several years, Nancy became D B Specialty Farms first Santa Maria employee in 1991.

After all of these years, Nancy still loves to eat strawberries and likes them best cut up and served with a little brown sugar and topped with real whipped cream.

 

 

 

 

 

EDEL GAMEZ--Office Secretary

Edel works as an office assitant since 2003. She travels around all the ranches every day. On mornings she picks up stuff that needs to be delivered to the office in a daily basis, and in the afternoon she takes stuff that needs to be delivered from office to ranches. Edel likes everything and enjoys everything she does at D B Specialty Farms.

She likes strawberries with cream and also with yogurt.

 

 

 

 

REYNA LAGUNAS -- Farm Office Secretary

Reyna found an oportunity to join the team at D B Specialty Farms to work for the Research and Development Department in 2009. She works hard to improve our safety programs at the same time she is contributing to new investigation projects.

In the present Reyna lives with her husband; Leonel, and her two kids; Daniela and Leonardo. They enjoy eating stawberries fresh from the plant with limon and salt.

 

 

 

 

 

MARTIN CRUZ-- Sprayers/ Irrigators Supervisor

 

 

JESUS MENDEZ--Airport /Johnson 1 Ranch Supervisor

As ranch supervisor, Jesus better known as "Chewy" is responsible for fruit quality at his ranch and ensuring that his workers have what they need to begin their day.He loves his position because of the freedom that it affords him and because he is able to spend his days outdoors in the beautiful Santa Maria weather. Jesus also likes that he is able to meet many new people at his job. Each day Jesus challenges himself and his team to complete their duties to the best of their ability. Jesus moved to Santa Maria in 1990 where he worked as a supervisor with several other companies before settling at D B Specialty Farms in 1994.
Jesus loves strawberries and says they taste best fresh off of the plant or dipped in chocolate.

 

 

 

 

ANTONIO MEDINA -- Buss Ranch Supervisor

Antonio takes great pride in his work, and his ranch is always neat and clean. Antonio supervises a 60 acre ranch and makes sure everything gets done the right way. " Medina" how he is well known at D B Specialty Farms joined the team in 1995.

Antonio Medina and his family like strawberries in smoothies and with chocolate.

 

 

 

 

 

ALBERTO MALDONADO--Betteravia/ Rosemary 1Ranch Supervisor

Alberto is in charge of fruit quality in his current position and finds satisfaction in his career from building relationships with his fellow employees. After he worked in Salinas as a strawberry picker came to inquire for work in Santa Maria in 1997. Alberto currently supervises 140 acre ranch. After so many years in the business, he now has friends from all over California and Mexico.
Alberto loves eating strawberries and thinks they are best right off of the plant

 

 

 

JOSE AMPARO AGUIRRE-- Donovan/ Rosemary 2 Ranch Supervisor

Jose enjoys his role as supervisor and has ambitions to continue working his way up in the strawberry business. Mr. Aguirre moved to Salinas, California in 1985, where he worked picking strawberries. In 1993, he relocated to Santa Maria and worked for Santa Cruz Berry Farms before coming to work for Daren two years later.
He says he never gets tired of eating strawberries and likes them best in margaritas or fresh off the plant with whipped cream.

 

 

 

JUAN MACHUCA--Ray/ Simas Ranch Supervisor

Juan was recently promoted to ranch Supervisor after he did an outstanding job as row boss for D B Specialty Farms. He claims he was afraid at th begining when he took the job, now he is already doing an exceptional job in his new position. Juan joined D B Farms in 1995.

Juan an his family enjoys eating fresh strawberries with whip cream.

 

 

 

 

JOSE MALDONADO --Johnson 2/ Stowell 2 Ranch Supervisor

JOSE LUIS CASTILLO-- POS/ Stowell 1 Ranch Supervisor

LUCY THE DOG

“Soon after Louie's death, my family and I decided to adopt a Boston Terrier puppy named Lucy. And although she could never replace Louie, she has become a great little ranch dog in her own right.” –Daren Gee

She follows Daren everywhere. If you have seen Daren in the fields, then chances are you’ve encountered the new dog in town; Lucy. Spunky and smart, she’s Daren’s right hand dog and a favorite to all the staff here at DB Farms. But Lucy wasn’t always by Daren’s side, she had to earn her place as a ranch dog.

Before the spunky Lucy was a Ranch dog, she was a house dog. Every morning when Daren would leave for work, Lucy would sit in the drive way and watch him drive away, off to the berry fields. She did this for a long time, and Daren never thought to take her with him, but still every morning she would sit in the driveway when Daren left. Then one day, Daren was out and about when low and behold, Lucy the dog poked her head out from his jacket in the back seat. It appears that she had snuck in the truck while he left the door open that morning. There was no use in taking Lucy all the way back home, so Daren decided to let her stay for the day and she has been by his side ever since. Lucy likes her strawberries fresh off the ground with a little dirt.