Mike, Gael & Cathy Barsotti
Two Acres of Solar Panels
Apple Sorting
High Speed Filler
Apple Hill Ranch
Apple Season Delivery
Watermelon Scrubbing
Solar Panels and Apple Trees
We moved to Apple Hill® (Camino, CA ) from Foster City, CA in 1976 and fell in love with our ranch as soon as we saw it. A multitude of apple and pear trees, a log house, a large cold storage building and a complete fruit packing line were all part of the purchase. We certainly didn’t realize how much work was involved in owning an orchard and packing mill.
Our family of five – Gael, Joan and children (Karen, Cathy and Mike) – moved in accompanied by the dog, cat, goldfish and shortly after, grandparents.
Farmers always say there’s no money in farming and they’re often right! In 1976 the pear trees were still not producing the bountiful fruit that was harvested in the 50’s. And, in the last 40+ years we have rarely had the perfect year that everyone hopes for, when the crop is large, the fruit perfect, and of course the selling price high. Still, we’ve been pleased with the production we’ve had, and there’s always next year! It’s the quality of life that truly is the best crop we harvest. Just ask the kids how much fun they had growing up here!
We have always grown, packed and sold quality apples and juice. We started with one tractor and one forklift on 37 acres of pears and apples. Everyone in the family worked hard. And our ranch manager, Leonardo, kept everything on track to grow beautiful, bountiful fruit each year. After a request from Raley’s to provide fresh cider to their stores, we slowly changed from an apple-packing operation to a wholesale cider and juice business. It took some time to get it right – to truly understand what it took to make the best tasting juice around. We quickly learned it’s not just about pressing fresh apples into juice – it’s about using just the right combination of apple varieties to ensure the perfect marriage of the sweet and tart flavors.
Now, we freshly press top quality juice all year long at our production facility that rivals many small producers of freshly pressed juice. We’ve replaced the flatbed trucks loaded with cases of juice and piles of ice with refrigerated semi-trucks and vans. Look for our trucks transporting our juice to your local supermarkets throughout Northern California. Our juice is also flash pasteurized to ensure your safety. And we’ve added several acres of solar panels to supply the juice that makes the juice.
Today, our son, Michael runs the cider mill, while daughter Cathy, handles sales and marketing. Leonardo Vega, is still our ranch manager. Justo manages production. Tricia runs the main office. Deepi handles the lab and quality assurance. And our production crew works round the clock … rain, snow or shine! It’s truly our team behind the scenes at the mill and on the road that keep the presses pressing, the bottles filling and the trucks rolling to ensure that our freshly pressed juices make it safely from our mill to a store near you. This passionate group takes pride in everything they do. It’s the hard work of all our kids and employees that ensures we can continue to offer up the best tasting juice around.
Is this a good life? You bet it is … and we wouldn’t change it for the world!
We hope you enjoy our juices and we guarantee that the quality is the best! Barsotti Juice Company is one of the last great family-run businesses from one of the last great places to live.
Your friends,
Gael & Joan Barsotti
(By the way, Joan has authored several children’s picture books and historical novels. Check out her books at www.barsottibooks.com.)
Some of the folks that help to bring you back to the farm one sip at a time!
Michael Barsotti
President
Mike, our master blender and production guru, has been at the helm since 2000. His task in life is to ensure that we are one well-oiled machine and, more importantly – that the juice we’re producing and bottling is the finest you’ll ever taste! He’s picky about the quality of fruits and vegetables used, and has been known to turn away truck-loads of fruit because it wasn’t up to his standards. He takes pride in his masterful blending of our all natural juice, purees and concentrates – and you can taste the difference in every bottle!
Cathy Barsotti
VP Sales & Marketing
Cathy oversees all of our sales and marketing efforts. Diving into all this juice business head-first, she has a penchant for peddling the family’s finest juice blends to our supermarket partners. It’s an easy job when you’re a big believer in the product you’re tasked to sell – and this juice is hands-down the most naturally delicious and naturally perfect you’ll ever try.
Leonardo Vega
Ranch Foreman
How great are the trees looking this year? Ask Leonardo. Need to know when it’s time to prune or pick? Ask Leonardo. Ever wanted to know why the blossoms are pink on pear trees, but white on apple trees? Ask Leonardo. Here is a man who truly understands the life cycle of the orchard and has a passion for fruit and farming. He has been an incredible asset to our ranch since the day we moved to Apple Hill®, over 40 years ago.
Justo Estanislao
Production Supervisor
Justo started working at our ranch when he was only 15. That was clearly a number of years ago. How long? He won’t let us say … but his dedication to the family business is very much appreciated. He knows everything there is to know about ensuring that our juices are bottled and shipped using the latest safety and quality standards.
Tricia Marquis
Accounting & Customer Service
Tricia splits her time answering your calls, returning emails, wrangling orders, sorting invoices, and crunching through the financials. Though we’re not sure when she last took any time off, we’re pretty sure we truly couldn’t keep the ship headed in the right direction without her endless hours of effort!
Jeff Beemer
DSD & Merchandising
Jeff can be seen driving the delivering truck to various stores, cafes, and markets throughout the Sacramento valley, foothills, and even the Bay Area. Give him a wave the next time you see the DSD truck roll by!
Mark Soots
Regional Sales Director
Having cutting his teeth in the Food & Beverage industry since 1984, Mark’s years of sales and merchandising experience ensure that Barsotti is well-represented on the shelves of your local stores. He diligently works to ensure our current and future clients have everything they need to guarantee their success … at least from the Barsotti side!
Walter Mathews
Marketing Director
Walter brings a rich history in sales and marketing to the Barsotti team. In addition to supporting sales, Walter is tasked with wrangling all marketing aspects of our branded products including this website, labels, promotions, social media, and everything else with our name on it.
Deepi Samra
Quality Assurance
When human beings lives are at risk, we do everything possible to make sure your Barsotti experience is a safe as possible. Luckily, Deepi’s overwhelming passion for food safety and attention to detail makes this easy. Growing up on a vineyard, she fell in love with the California way of life, keeping it simple and growing her own produce. She comes to Barsotti’s with a BS in Management from The University of California, Merced with attention in public health.