Gene Robben is a grower and a rancher through and through. Robben has owned and operated Robben Ranch since 1972. In the early 1990s he was joined by his two sons, Scott and Spencer, upon their graduation from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Historically, Robben Ranch specialized in several different row, field and forage crops as well as alfalfa hay and cattle. Today, the Robbens are proud grower-owners for Pacific Coast Producers.
Starting in the early 2000s, the Robbens added processing tomatoes to their roster and that same year, the ranch delivered its first processing tomatoes to Pacific Coast Producers at the newly purchased Woodland, CA facility. Growing processing tomatoes isn’t as easy as it might look and this crop presents special challenges to the grower. Every year seed companies introduce new varieties, which require changes such as new irrigation practices and fine-tuning of fertility programs. Welcoming these challenges while maintaining consistently high standards has allowed Robben Ranch to prosper in today’s agriculture, while providing the best quality tomatoes for the consumer.