A visit to Driscoll Farms

A visit to Driscoll Farms

Did you know that a strawberry has 200 seeds? We learned this and much more during a recent visit and tour of Driscoll Farms in Watsonville. We are grateful to the AACT (American Association of Candy Technologists) for organizing this event and lovely dinner at the Shadowbrook in Capitola.

Driscoll Strawberry Plants


Thanks to a fascinating talk by Driscoll plant breeder Marty Modesto, we learned that there are more berry varieties than you or I will ever know – and it takes 5 years to test and produce each one! They use natural breeding methods to create patented berry varieties – tested for attributes like flavor, color, texture, shape and aroma. Thanks to Driscoll’s commitment to research and development, we can enjoy Driscoll’s berries year-round! It turns out that a strawberry doesn’t just taste like a strawberry…..each variety has it’s own unique flavor. We sampled 5 different varieties that Driscoll is using now…….but we learned that they are also doing research in every potential strawberry growing region in the world! During strawberry season, the strawberries are harvested and transported to the main facility within 2 hours – and then on their way to a grocery store near you! Once you buy your strawberries at the market, you can even trace your strawberries back to the field they came from

We will never look at a strawberry the same way again!