Santa Cruz Farmers Markets

Hidden Fortress is a farm based coffee roaster. Coffee helps finance the start-up costs of a new farm which specializes in breakfast items like fruit, eggs, muffins, and of course, coffee! Owner Amelia Loftus started roasting coffee as a hobby in 2000 and has roasted all the coffee she drinks ever since. On a trip to Hawaii a few years ago she picked wild coffee beans and hand processed a small batch of coffee. This experience gave her a profound respect for the amount of labor and expertise required to produce excellent coffee. When looking for a way to reach self sufficiency as a farmer, coffee was the logical choice.

The roasting is done with obsessive attention to detail on a very small scale fluid air bed commercial roaster that roasts just 2 pounds at a time. The roaster uses propane and solar power from a mobile solar power generator mounted on the truck which also powers the coffee booth at the farmer's market. With such small batches the coffee is labor intensive to produce but it is also easy to keep inventory farm fresh.

The Garcias impressively run JCG farm (which sells at SCCFM markets) and the Tía Beré Mexican Kitchen from which they serve delicious tamales, tacos, chiles rellenos, tostadas, sopes, quesadillas, tortillas, salsas, and more as one of the fine food artisans in our prepared food section. We are so fortunate to have them in our membership with one hand in organic agriculture and the other in a rich culinary tradition.

In 1946 Frank Gonzales returned from World War II and bought 10 acres of apricot trees in the Hollister area. He and his wife Mary Gonzales began farming in Hollister when they were married over 55 years ago. They raised three children on the 120 acre ranch. Frank and Mary's son, Gary Gonzales, returned from the Peace Corp in 1972 and began to work the apricot orchard with his father. He has now been managing it for decades. Until 1992 the family sent 60 tons of dried, unpacked fruit to two large wholesalers, Del Monte and Mayfair. When Turkish imports began to flood the market, they had to revision their business strategy. Apricot King began to sell at the farmers' markets, little ones in tow.