Measured from their base at the bottom of the ocean, these volcanic islands are actually some of the tallest mountains on the planet. They sat some 900 miles away from Lisbon, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, uninhabited until 1439. Today, their population measures 250,000 and stretches across islands 380 miles apart from one another. Their farming practices are simple.

Livingston is rooted in the fertile San Joaquin Valley where modern agriculture has come to be efficient like a machine. The valley itself is based in clay and so Livingston’s large sand deposits are unique to the area. It’s a particular draw for farmers who are now producing 90% of the sweet potatoes grown west of the Rockies.  

The link between the two? Wandering ten minutes from Main Street finds it: A sign that reads “A.V. Thomas Produce”. It is the location of a family-owned operation that is the largest grower-packer-shipper of organic sweet potatoes in the country. The facility is busy preparing for the holiday season, having just finished the July to early November harvest, now packing and labeling their sweet potatoes as Natural Beauty. A few of the employees working here hail from Azores.

A.V. Thomas the person, or Antonio Vieira Thomas, immigrated to the U.S. from the Azores Islands in 1920. He was following the American dream of opportunity for his family. Settling in Livingston, he became part of a growing Portuguese-speaking community that attracted not only families from Azores but also Angola and Brazil for its renowned dairy farming. In 1960, with one packing line in a building in downtown Livingston, Antonio began decades of produce farming, packing, and business growth.

Antonio’s nephew Manuel E. Vieira joined him in Livingston in 1972. Manuel had moved to Rio de Janeiro from Pico Island, Azores to study Business Administration when he was seventeen. When he came to work with his uncle, bringing his three children and wife Laurinda, Manuel was placed in charge of the one commodity that was not thriving, sweet potatoes. He learned everything he could about sweet potatoes to revive the category. Manuel spent seasons working in the fields; he befriended farmers in the community and listened to what they had to say; and he brought on knowledgeable farm managers who could help direct and correct the process.

Then in 1977, Antonio Vieira Thomas retired and Manuel took on his current ownership of A.V. Thomas. Nearly ten years later, Manuel implemented a business plan that included a modern packing facility and—for the first time—a few acres of sweet potatoes that would be grown the way families in Azores farmed, naturally organic. But it took another ten years for these organic gems to take off, when health-conscious consumer demand took notice of the nutritious value of sweet potatoes, untouched by harmful pesticides and herbicides.

The organic Natural Beauty line expanded to what it is today—the largest in the country. Manager of the Organic Program, Brian Escobar, notes A.V. Thomas’s lead in the organic market is due to its location in California. North Carolina is the largest sweet potato grower in the country, followed by Louisiana and Mississippi. California rounds out fourth in production. “But these eastern states that command conventional production, can’t grow organic because of pests, soil, and climate,” says Brian. Without chemicals, their crop fails. But without chemicals in Livingston, with its sandy soil, mild winters, long, dry summers, and abundant irrigation water, sweet potatoes thrive.

The only drawback to this command is that California sweet potatoes are softer than those from the east. This means they are susceptible to injury and must be handled carefully. A.V. Thomas cannot use incisors to pack their potatoes and after washing or “waking” the roots, they cannot be dumped. Instead, they are submerged in water and floated out to prevent injury. Then they are packed by hand. “Our costs are double,” Brian says.

But for the only organic sweet potatoes available, it’s worth it. Brian still fields questions about what organic means. “It’s nice. I enjoy responding. People want to know what we do that makes them organic,” he says, “They don’t know about the stringent rules we have to follow.”

They’re hardest challenge, however, has been finding enough organic land to meet demand. Land must be free of all pesticides and herbicides and certain fertilizers for three years before it is approved for organic certification. So A.V. Thomas leases other land for sometimes eight years just to ensure control. And then every two years they rotate their soil with wheat, rye, or barely to keep the soil healthy, naturally. “Sweet potatoes need sandy, dry soil to grow, so Livingston is prime—but small. There are maybe twenty miles of planting ground that we share with other major growers.”

Besides finding new ground, other future goals for A.V. Thomas include, on one hand, packing sweet potatoes in microwavable trays and packaging to meet current convenience demand, and on the other, finding biodegradable packaging to make more beneficial impacts for the environment.

Starting out as a small experiment, their organic acreage today numbers 1500. Each year, 55 million pounds of organic sweet potatoes leave their facility. That’s quite a bit of beta-carotene. “A lot of people look at us and see we’re so big,” Brian comments, “But we started out small and because we’re the only ones out there, we’ve grown.”

It’s a family farm, Manuel’s two sons helping manage operations. “I grew up with Manuel’s son, Carlos,” Brian says, “We played ball together during the school year and worked at the warehouse during the summer for extra money.” And there’s more to this Azores-Livingston link: Brian was also born in Azores, on an island five miles from Pico, called Faial. “Our islands are only a quick ferry ride apart,” he says, “Every year we go back.”

Mercedee Renz, Goodness Greeness