California Farms: From Fruits,Vegetables and Flowers to Nuts

Jung Nam Yun came from Korea and opened a farmers' market in Harlem in 1978.

Tired of the city, he sold the farmers' market in New York and in 1982 moved his family to New Jersey, where he knew it would be a good place to raise his family, and opened California Farms in Fort Lee.

“A lot of Korean immigrants are here in New Jersey and working in farmers' markets," explained Alex Kim, manager of California Farms. "That was the inspiration for Yun: to follow in their footsteps and in the industry. He opened California Farms in Plaza West on Bergen Boulevard. Yun is in the store everyday overseeing the business.”

Kim started as an employee at California Farms in 1984.

“The economy has affected business very profoundly," he said. "You realize a lot of people are really struggling. One of the ways you notice is that customers who bought $30, $40 worth of merchandise now are only buying $10 to $15. Customers are economizing and aren’t buying as much fruit as it is more expensive to buy vegetables. Prices move with the economy, and people want to make more money. ”

With Kim’s expertise in business, he acknowledged that to keep ahead of the game, “lots of the big supermarkets are pushing the little guys out so we, in turn, are doing what we can to keep trying to keep prices down and to continue providing good service.

"It’s hard as the economy keeps pushing prices up," he said. "Where in the past, the prices would normally come back down. That is not the case now. Supermarkets, it appears, want to really make the independent shops feel afraid, to fear the cycle of the economy. Our new neighbor, Han Nam, doesn’t really affect business as California Farms has a loyal customer base. When the economy forces prices to go up, we tend to lower prices. It’s all about checks and balances.”

Kim added the reason "monopoly laws are around is because the big guys ruin local economies and push out the little guys."

"We in turn try to compensate and not let the big supermarkets push us out," he said. "It is the small business that drives the economy.”

Expressing his feeling about staying competitive and going forward Yun said, “To keep customers coming back, deals are made with distributors and we buy a large quantity of items that we put on sale to turn over. That’s how we are surviving.”

“It’s the supermarkets that have to buy in bulk and sell the product making the small business owners use more ingenuity," he said.

Yun depends on Kim to help keep the business running. Kim said his two sons help him out.

Being in such a diverse borough, Kim said, California Farms strives to meet everyone’s needs.

"We obviously can’t do that so we carry the fruits and vegetables that are mainstay and accommodates the different diets of our customers,” he said.

Kim said most of their produce comes from Hunts Point Market in the Bronx, the largest distributor in the Northeast.

A new buyer has entered into the scene at Plaza West and is considering making numerous and major changes to the mall. At present, California Farms has not been affected. A new Plaza West sign will be put in place at the plaza to increase business and make people aware. There is also a new landlord.

“Shop in the little stores, they have good prices and try to keep customers happy," Kim said. "The small companies put the money back into the economy and stay competitive.”

California Farms also sells cold drinks, a wide assortment of flowers that are always available, bread, an assortment of cheeses, honey, nuts, eggs, dairy products and more.       

California Farms is open 365 days a year, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday-Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. There are seven employees in total making sacrifices to accommodate the hours to keep the business running.