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Photograph courtesy of the Olson family
Teresa Veloz, described by the Olsons as 'an excellent cherry packer and good friend,' fills up a box with the Olson family's famous fruit.
Olson farm family marks its 100-year anniversary
Sunnyvale family set to host a two-day cherry celebration
By Kelly Wilkinson
Standing in the same white clapboard fruit stand once managed by her grandparents, and then her parents, Deborah Olson is surrounded by piles of fresh, dark cherries and fruit creations. She marks the fourth generation of Olsons orcharding in the center of Sunnyvale. This weekend the family will celebrate its 100-year anniversary with a two-day cherry fair.
The fair, which will include cherry-spitting contests, orchard tours, cherry tasting and a proclamation by Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, may be bittersweet for the Olsons and many Sunnyvale residents, as plans to convert the 15-acre plot on El Camino Real and Mathilda into apartments, a restaurant and retail shops become a reality.
In the meantime, Deborah Olson reflects on her heritage--a cherry dynasty that has provided fruit to the likes of Julia Childs, Martha Stewart and Price Albert.
"We're proud to be a part of such a long-standing history, and what this valley plans to convert the 15-acre plot on El Camino Real and Mathilda into apartments, a restaurant and retail shops become a reality.
In the meantime, Deborah Olson reflects on her heritage--a cherry dynasty that has provided fruit to the likes of Julia Childs, Martha Stewart and Price Albert.
"We're proud to be a part of such a long-standing history, and what this valley
is really about," Olson said. "My roots go really deep, and I'm proud to be a part of continuing a business for 100 years."
The C.J. Olson cherry orchard has held out as one of the few remaining family-owned farms in the Santa Clara Valley, started in the late 1890s by Carl and Hannah Olson from Sweden. They planted their orchard on five acres of land they purchased for $150 an acre, and moved from downtown Sunnyvale to what was considered the countryside on El Camino in 1919.
"This marks a transition, and a time for change," Olson said of the impending development, with bulldozers already growling behind the fruit stand.
The final plans, which the Planning Commission passed May 24, go to City Council for approval June 15. The decision has been almost 15 years in the making after increasing taxes and a root disease in all the trees necessitated the shift away from agriculture.
Charlie Olson, Deborah's father, said if he had won the lottery he "would have kept [the orchard] up forever, but we can't economically do it unless we had unlimited resources. It's a losing proposition."
"It's very sad," he said. "I've been getting up and coming down here every morning for my whole life, and now I'll have nowhere to go. But that's part of the business."
But he said he's taking pride in his contributions to making a business last for 100 years, and thinks this anniversary would have made members of his family proud.
"This means a lot to us, and would have meant a lot to my dad and grandfather," he said. "I remember [my Dad] telling the Mercury News in 1978 that he just hoped we would make it 100 years. And we have."
As part of the redevelopment plan, the cherry stand fronting El Camino will remain, which Deborah said is the most important part for her as well as residents and customers.
"On my part, I'll be able to keep the company up," she said. "And there will be new opportunities. The family will still be here, but the ranch part will be flattened, which is why I want to make this area as much like a farm environment as possible."
The Olsons will be farming three acres of cherries on city land and 10 acres of apricots as part of the city's Orchard Heritage Park at the community center, and Deborah will still stock the stand with produce from local farmers, which she said will maintain her connection to the family's heritage.
Ann Hines, Sunnyvale resident and preservationist, expressed gratitude for the Olsons' century's worth of work.
"I think it's wonderful that we've had them for 100 years and that there have been four generations of this family that have wanted to stay here," she said. "That's a real gift."
Hines also watched last week as Los Gatos school children toured the Orchard Heritage Park in Sunnyvale, where both Charlie and Deborah guided tours and answered questions.
"They will still be here, and children will be able to experience a farming family and continue to give kids the experience of where food comes from so they'll know we can't pave over everything."
"One thing remains constant," Deborah says, wearing a cherry-print T-shirt. "There will always be cherries."
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
