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Greek music plays in the background and the smell of bread wafts though the air on a bright summer morning. The temperature hovers around 80 degrees and sunlight dapples the produce.
It's barely 9 a.m. and people as varied as elderly women with their carts and white collar professionals from nearby high-tech companies are already at Cupertino's Farmers' Market at Vallco Fashion Park to buy fresh produce and flowers. Summer is the peak season for the market, which is open Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Located on a quiet side of the Vallco parking lot near TGI Friday's, the market opened to the public in May 2000. Vallco Marketing Director Cristina Robles says the market operated from January to November earlier but now it remains open all year-round.
"What makes our farmers' market so popular is our location," Robles says. "It's very busy, we have ample parking space and we are right off Interstate 280." Robles says during the peak months from May to August, about 2,500 people come to shop.
Even the mall manager does his weekly grocery shopping at the market, giving some respite to his wife. Mike Rohde says he likes the fruit at Vallco for its freshness, especially the strawberries.
"This stuff is picked yesterday to sell today. I don't think it gets any fresher than that."
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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Rosa Resendez (center) purchases loose lettuce at the Happy Boy Farms booth.
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The Vallco Farmers' Market is operated by the Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association which is a non-profit organization responsible for 20 other Farmers' Markets in the Bay Area.
"The emphasis here is on the farmers, and only certified agriculture is allowed to be sold in the market," Barlow says.
Barlow says the association is the largest in California and the second-largest in the nation, next only to New York.
About 45 vendors from different regions of California come there every Friday to sell vegetables, fruits, flowers bread and honey. Apart from that, the market also sells fresh kettle corn, chicken, salsa, gelato and roasted coffee.
"Some of the vendors come all the way from Southern California, Fresno and Stockton," Barlow says.
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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Honey bears and jars from Organic Hill Top Crops in Los Gatos.
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Jamie Johnston leaves his Lemoore farm, which is near Fresno, at 5 a.m. to sell his honey bunch tomatoes, cantaloupes, corn and watermelons. Some of his tomatoes are specialized and he says nobody has the same variety in the whole country.
Business has been dropping lately, Johnston says.
"We don't know if people are not spending or they just don't have the money," Johnston says.
Vallco Farmers' Market stands out also because it has a significant amount of organic farmers selling their produce.
"This is the healthiest possible outlet for the customer," Barlow says. "This could be because the Bay Area is more educated and savvy toward organic and natural consumption."
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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Shoppers fill up bags with fresh fruits and vegetables.
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Artie Flores of Kashiwase Farms from Winton in Merced County sells organic fruit of hybrid nature. His fruit includes pluots which are hybrids of plum and apricots, as well as incredibly sweet nectarines and peaches.
"Our prices are a little more than others because the fruits are unique and exclusive," Flores says.
Traffic to the Vallco mall on Fridays has visibly increased since the Farmers' Market started, Robles says. Stores in the mall, such as Macy's and J C Penny, set up their own stalls at the market to publicize their products, although they are not allowed to sell them.
Steven Meister, who owns Fun Candies and Crepe Café in the mall, even buys some of his supplies such as strawberries, bananas and lemons at the market.
"In fact, on Friday mornings, there are a little more people at my store," Meister says.
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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Pedro Medina, owner of Medina Farms in Watsonville, has been coming to the Cupertino Farmers Market at Vallco to sell his strawberries for the past four years.
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Emily Bergendahl came all the way from San Mateo to the market, to buy onions, squash and strawberries.
"I think there's a good balance of produce and flowers here, there's a great selection and the prices are good," she says.
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Jacqueline Ramseyer