As Thao Family Farms “takes a break” from farmers markets, Mr. Thao Farms is an obvious successor.
After nearly a decade of running his parents’ farm in Fresno, the 36-year-old figurehead of Thao Family Farm would no longer sell produce at Southern California farmers markets.
“The decision was a long time coming,” Kong said. “We needed a break to figure things out for the future.” He was 3 when his Hmong family arrived in Fresno as refugees in 1988. They’d fled violence in their native Laos after the Vietnam War, during which the CIA had secretly recruited Hmong soldiers to fight against the North Vietnamese. Once American forces withdrew, the Hmong faced persecution from the communist regime in Laos. Many families, including the Thaos, escaped to Thai refugee camps, where they lived for years before they were finally granted asylum in the U.S.
The success that Thao Family Farm experienced since that time has been exceptional in many ways, but it also fits within a broader narrative shaping California’s agricultural landscape. The South Pasadena Farmers Market is home to June Moua of Dream Farms, who sells rainbow-colored carrots and peppers. Pang Thao helps her parents run Fue Thao Fresh Produce at the Camarillo Farmers Market, carrying fresh herbs like lemongrass and parsley.
When Kong left the Torrance market in January, his parents asked Zeng’s family if they wanted to take over their spot. Market manager Joyce Chan was delighted. The large Asian community in the South Bay has meant an eager audience for Hmong-grown products.Though they are distinct and separate businesses, Thao Family Farm and Mr. Thao Farm share more similarities than their name.
Zeng is eager to expand his family’s farm too and hopes to eventually purchase property and maybe a tractor, especially since his parents are nearing retirement age. “They understood what I was going through with the burnout, because I think they’d also gone through it in some way,” he said. “We’re all in the same boat at the end of the day.”
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