CULTIVATING THE FUTURE OF FOOD
Farmer. Harvard graduate. Entrepreneur. Educator. Proud daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter. Armenian. African-American. Steward. Amber Balakian is many things. On paper, she’s an accomplished professional with degrees to boot. In person, she’s a passionate, dynamic woman, carrying on a trailblazing family legacy.Since coming home to work with her family at Balakian Farms, Amber has already impressed the likes of Oprah Magazine, who called the farm’s Organic Heirloom Tomato Blends “summer in a jar.” And now, the Reedley-based farmer is looking to the extracts from their produce to enter the skincare market. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for so long, and everything came together this last year,” she says.But even before Amber took the company on its current entrepreneurial path, Balakian Farms had been at the forefront of produce farming in the Central Valley.
With roots in Reedley, California, four generations of Balakians have tended to their plot of land under the steaming Central Valley sun. The farm was founded by Amber’s great-grandparents Zadig and Victoria Balakian after fleeing the Armenian genocide in 1925, when they performed the ultimate act of hope and planted 40 acres of Thompson grapes to join the ranks of the Central Valley’s storied raisin growers.
Their eldest son John Balakian met Stella Krikorian, fell in love, and the two married in 1956. They then built a house on the fertile soil in John’s hometown of Reedley and settled into a sun-drenched life of farming and family.
John and Stella grew a variety of fruits and vegetables on their 20 acres of land, hauling their bounty to farmer’s markets in Southern California and the Bay Area on the weekends. A talented cook, Stella would use their seasonal produce to bring her family’s Armenian recipes to life. The couple’s daughters, Ginger and Kathy, grew up on the family farm and were always a part of the weekly trek to the out-of-town farmers markets.
In fact, it was Ginger Balakian’s idea to transition the farm to an organic operation in the 1990s, a move that was a gamble and practically unheard of at the time in the Central Valley.
“There were very few people doing it, and it’s a long, expensive process,” says Amber. “My mom [Ginger] saw it as an opportunity and something to try. I don’t know if my grandpa was too excited about it—it was a risk, but it ended up working out really well.”
As a result of the transition, Balakian Farms was able to set itself apart as an organic farm among their San Francisco and Los Angeles customers. “We had good quality before,” Amber adds, “but the organic switch helped further that even more.”
During this transformative time, Amber was growing up on the farm. She saw firsthand the hard work and family-centric culture that the Balakians had established and spent most of her time outdoors, tagging along with her grandfather in the fields or on weekend trips to the Bay.
“I just kind of grew up in the farming business,” she says. “It was unique but always exciting. Most kids don’t get to go to San Francisco every weekend for the farmer’s markets.”
Amber came to appreciate her upbringing the way many people do: with a change of scenery. Her first stop after high school was the University of California, San Diego, initially to study marine biology followed by a quick pivot to economics—the closest thing to a business major that the university offered at the time.
Knowing that she did not want to become an economist after getting her bachelor’s degree, Amber enrolled at Harvard University to study management. With a deeper understanding of leadership, innovation, and sustainability, she graduated with her MLA from the Ivy League school in 2009.
John and Stella’s Daughters John and Stella’s two daughters, Ginger and Kathy, grew up on the farm. Both Ginger and Kathy always enjoyed selling at the farmer’s markets, and continue to today. Megerdich Krikorian, Kathy Balakian, John Balakian, Ginger Balakian and Stella Balakian at the Alemany Farmer’s Market in San Francisco 1968.
Amber credits their quality and taste to more than just the Valley soil. The employees of Balakian Farms, some of whom have been working there for generations, are the heartbeat of their operation. Since the beginning, they have been treated like family. They share meals at Grandma Stella’s table. They’re paid well and deeply respected. This culture has created an environment of loyalty and care, as well as a degree of ownership for each worker.
“They take pride in our farm, and that really shows in what we produce,” says Amber. “It works in tandem: how well we take care of them and how well they care for things. People always ask us, ‘How do you keep your land so beautiful?’ It’s because our employees take such good care of it, and it shows.”
Sharing the beautiful produce with as many people as possible is at the forefront of Amber’s goals. She aimed to convince home cooks to “Ditch the Can” of typical crushed tomatoes and embrace a fresher taste with her brainchild: Organic Blended Heirloom Tomatoes in a jar. Beyond winning over Oprah’s team, Amber’s blends caught the eye of Stacy’s Rise Project. With the Rise Project, she was awarded a grant, mentorship, and an even bigger platform to tell her family’s story in 2021.
Today, those delicious blends can be found on the farm’s website, at their markets, and even on the shelves of the most discerning grocery store in Los Angeles—Erewhon Market.
Alongside the success of the jarred heirloom tomato blends, Balakian Farms have recently created their own bread and butter pickles. They’re uniquely made from Armenian cucumbers, which gives them an addictively crunchy bite.
“You don’t really realize what you have until you don’t have it,” says Amber. “Rather than go the corporate route, I decided to come back and help my family manage our farm and try new things.”
Balakian Farms’ tagline is “Honor the Past, Celebrate the Future,” and Amber has been the embodiment of this since returning to Reedley. Her mother paved the way, a living example of a female leader in a male-dominated industry. Despite not fitting the traditional white-male mold of the American farmer (which comes with an understandable dose of imposter syndrome), Amber remains passionate about her industry. Building relationships has been the antidote to any discouragement she may feel.
“When you’re the person that stands out, it’s a natural thing to feel challenged,” Amber says. “It’s intimidating. But over time, being able to share our story and use the farmer’s market to be ourselves with people has proven to be a lot more powerful and given us a platform to connect with customers.”
Week after week, those customers keep coming back for Balakian Farms’ goods. Multiple varieties of stone fruit, almost 20 different varieties of summer squash, crisp Armenian cucumbers, unique eggplants, heirloom tomatoes, and more are all grown in their Reedley fields.
“Some people at the farmers market will buy a jar, and eat the entire jar while they’re shopping around,” laughs Amber. “I’m looking to really expand that in the future in terms of volume.”
Also on Amber’s ambitious agenda is a foray into an entirely new sector—Stella Skincare. On a trip to Armenia years ago, Amber encountered a unique skincare brand that was based on a farm. A lightbulb went off. Since then, she’s been working on creating her own formulas using the extracts of Balakian Farms produce. A founder of that same inspiring Armenian skincare brand has even provided her mentorship and expertise while Amber’s vision comes to life.
“I named it after my grandmother, Stella,” reflects Amber. “She’s 93, and people are always telling her she doesn’t look her age! She was the perfect person to model the brand after.”
When she’s not farming or working on the skincare brand, Amber is teaching. She is an educator at Fresno City College in the business department, sharing the skills she picked up in her graduate school days and what she’s learned coming back to the farm.
With Amber’s innovative spirit at the helm, Balakian Farms has big goals for the coming years. They hope to expand their shipping abilities and get their produce into even more hands, work closely with more restaurants, and continue to build their brand and tell their story.
Of course, big dreams come with big challenges. It’s not easy being a small California farm these days, but like her great-grandparents, Amber is full of hope.
“Now more than ever, farming is important,” she says, “not just for the farmer, but for the people who are working in the industry and the communities that depend on it.”
Features Contributor Cece F. Quinn
Location Balakian Farms
Model Amber Balakian
Photographer Gianna Cardella
Hair Stylist Ashley Beckenhauer
Makeup Artist Kailey Sanders, Bare Skin + Beauty
Styling (Wardrobe and Decor) Revival 23
Publicist RPM PR
