Xu Hong Huang Farm
When Yan Ying Tan and Xu Hong Huang founded their farm in 2002, they dreamed of a stable way to support themselves and their growing family. Before this, they had worked at a Morgan Hill motor factory. The factory operations later moved overseas, and the couple’s limited English proficiency left them with few options. Not ones to be discouraged, they decided to pave their own path and start a farm. The two gradually learned farming skills from relatives who lived nearby. From choosing to farm to a later incident that changed their lives, Yan Ying and Xu Hong’s journey embodies the value of family and the power of community.
Xu Hong Huang Farm has provided vegetables for Bay Area markets and independent Asian grocery stores for over two decades. The couple grows bok choy, garlic chives, Chinese cauliflower, tong ho, and other Asian vegetables in 3.5 acres of greenhouses. The farm uses sustainable crop production practices such as compost application to provide nutrients to their vegetables, improve soil tilth and health, and for better plant growth.
In the farm’s earlier years, Xu Hong delivered their produce to markets in San Francisco himself. This all changed when he suffered a stroke. During a delivery trip in 2010, Xu Hong experienced a serious stroke and lost consciousness on the highway. The police were able to quickly reach the scene, but he required surgery and was hospitalized in the intensive care unit for many days. Since then, Xu Hong’s mobility and memory weren’t the same. “Afterwards, we decided to sell [our produce] to intermediaries who deliver for us. Health and safety of the family is most important. It was a very heartbreaking experience, but thank God [my husband] is still alive and well,” Yan Ying shares.
SIZE:
3.5 acres
YEARS IN BUSINESS:
23 years
PRODUCTS:
Bok choy, garlic chives, a choy, cauliflower, tong ho, and other Asian vegetables.
MARKETS:
Wholesale markets
COUNTY:
Santa Clara