The year 2022 ended and there are still traces of the pandemic. We remember with nostalgia those who have passed away these past two years. A roller coaster of emotions for hundreds of families as Christmas approaches.  Growers have also had a series of challenges and ups and downs over the past two years.  Years of complicated markets, but as always, with our heads held high, with enthusiasm and courage for the season to come. Today we are going to take the opportunity to look back at some of the growers in our state who have marked the development of the industry.  

Sinaloa has been exporting vegetables to North America for more than 100 years, and according to the book El Oro Rojo de Sinaloa (Sinaloa’s Red Gold) by Eduardo Frías Sarmiento, a fundamental factor for the state’s horticultural development was not the fertility of our lands, but the “Triple Helix” that was formed between growers, government, and banks to develop Sinaloa’s hydraulic infrastructure in the 1930s-40s.  And so after, the irrigated lands were ready to produce the best fruits, it was up to the farmers to do their own thing.   

In the last 100 years, there have been many growers and their families who have been innovating and marking the development of this noble industry in Sinaloa.

Here is a recognition of some of them, these farmers in the last century contributed, undoubtedly, to the development of this economic activity so relevant.  Their work was so outstanding that their names and actions have endured over time.

It was their vision and hard work that led them to be the best and the greatest.  Due to life circumstances, some of these growers are no longer part of the industry; however, their ideas, their ways of working, their sayings, their expressions, their faces and their passion for the land remain unwritten laws that still rule the medium.

It could be said that the Tamayo family was the first to turn agriculture into an orderly, high-volume industry.  One could well divide this industry into before and after the Tamayo family’s influence.  They were very disciplined, and their administration was impeccable.  It is said that they were a source of inspiration for many farmers who would later become successful.

Mentioning the Demerutis family implied talking about vegetables of excellent quality.   They, like many other Greeks, arrived in Sinaloa and managed to turn what in Greece was their source of food into a source of wealth.  Demerutis tomatoes were big, red, and tasty.

If there were a tomato empire, the Canelos family would have to be named.   Their crops covered hundreds of hectares.  I would go so far as to say that they became worldwide growers of tomatoes, also known as red gold.

Another important grower family whose brand has endured for several decades was the Wilsons in northern Sinaloa.  The fact of producing perfect vegetables allowed their brand to be and continue to be highly demanded in the U.S. and Canadian markets.

If we mention innovators, we can mention the Sarachos being the first to try greenhouses and shade houses in the state.  Now there are thousands of hectares that dozens of growers have in Sinaloa.

Many other families of vision that transformed and continue to innovate this industry and that cannot fail to be mentioned are Ritz, Cardenas, Habberman, Gutierrez, Clouthier, Paredes, Tarriba, Tribolet, Hernandez, Gamboa, Carrillo, Saenz, Ley, Gastelum, Fontes, Beltran, Aguirre, Urtusuastegui, Godoy, Crisantes, Angulo, Kondo, Valenzuela, Bon, Bustamante, Leyson, Espinoza, Gotsis, Gaxiola, Eng, Gatzionis, Podesta, De la Vega, Pablos, Rodarte, Lichter, Bazua, Riveros, López, González, Compeán, Echavarria, Castro, Esquer, Batiz, Campaña, Stabrópulos, among others.

Let all of us honor those men who were in the fields at sunrise and who shaped this century-old industry for Sinaloa, for Mexico, and the world.