Page 82 - February2019

You know it’s going to be an interesting story when the tale begins this way: “It all started with an orange VW van ...”
The year was 1972, and husband-and-wife team, Ron and Pat Caird, started Por La Mar Nursery with six acres of land in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA. The bountiful area on
the Paci c Coast, located about two hours northwest of Los Angeles, is a grower’s paradise, where millions of
Ron and Pat Caird, (second and fourth from the left), shown with family, friends and nursery team, celebrate the purchase of the San Lorenzo Nursery property – one of many expansion efforts since 1972 that now has Por La Mar Nursery operating on 200 acres.
In the horticultural industry, Por La Mar is known as a top breeder, grower and shipper of calla lilies, cyclamen, gardenia, hydrangea, and zygocactus. Daughter Erin Caird, who is a second-generation owner and works in sales, says zygocactus is one of many crops (outside of hydrangea, mini rose, gardenia and calla lily) that is bred in Santa Barbara. The nursery also grows seasonal bulbs, foliage plants and many other potted plants that ll homes, restaurants, hotels and gardens across the country. Its sister company, which was purchased around 1999, is Glad-A-Way Gardens in Santa Maria, CA.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
A Deep-As-The-Sea Commitment
owers and plants are grown in elds and
greenhouses. The name Por La Mar was cho-
sen because the couple was passionate about the stunning by- the-sea location and found it tting for their new journey, which they knew would require a deep commitment.
Purchasing San Lorenzo Nursery around 1995 was part of the ourishing expansion. The business today consists of 200 acres, and Por La Mar employs more than 200 people.
“We are proud to be farmers of owers. We love what they bring to a person’s life,” says Erin, who works at the nursery with her parents and her brother Brian, who is president and an owner. She adds that the family and company are proud to be the rst American Grown certi ed potted plant producer in the United States, a designation granted in 2015. pb
After high school, where the couple had been sweethearts, Ron earned a degree in horticulture and Pat’s degree was in edu- cation. She became a teacher, and the two began selling owers from the orange Volkswagen van. In 1974, Dan Jauchen joined the business. As production manager, he is credited by the family as an integral part of their lives and the success of the company.
Blast from the Past is a regular feature of Produce Business. We welcome submissions of your old photos, labels or advertisements. Please send your material to Chris Burt, Managing Editor, at cburt@phoenixmedianet.com.
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Idaho Potato Commission.43....208-334-2350.........idahopotato.com/retail LGS Specialty Sales..........37....800-796-2349 .......................lgssales.com Little Potato Company ......42....587-460-2074................ littlepotatoes.com Mann Packing Co., Inc. ..... 13....800-884-6266..........viggiesmadeeasy.com MIXTEC Group..................61....818-541-0124 ............................mixtec.net Mother Earth ...................63....610-869-7211.........organicmushrooms.com Mother Earth .................. 68....610-869-7211.........organicmushrooms.com National Mango Board......53....877-MANGOS-1......................... mango.org Nickey Gregory ................67....404-366-7410 ............... nickeygregory.com Pennrose Farms LLC ......... 51....813-633-8910 ..............pennrosefarms.com Port Everglades..................7........................................ porteverglades.net Produce for Better
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FEBRUARY 2019