Jon Vessey

Vessey and Company

Back in 1910, Vessey & Co. produced purely iceberg lettuce. Jon’s grandfather, Elton Vessey, originally worked in the wholesale produce business in Los Angeles, but came to Imperial Valley to “buy a patch of lettuce.” Elton’s business naturally grew to Salinas so that he could satisfy his customers who wanted lettuce year round.

Vessey & Co. continues to respond to the market. “I remember years ago walking on the beach with my Dad [Jackson Vessey] and he said, ‘Son, you don’t always have to plant lettuce.’ And so today, we ask our customers, ‘What do you want and how much of it do you want?’ We now grow more than 20 commodities.”

Elton’s wife, Maude, designed the Vessey label. It includes a horseshoe for good luck. She also designed the lettuce packaging, a reusable wrap to both keep the lettuce fresh and crisp and to be used “to keep moist food clean and sanitary and protects them from odors.” A picture of the wrapper can be seen above.

“My grandmother was WAAAY ahead of her time in ‘going green,’” Jon said with a chuckle. “But seriously, today, we make sure Vessey & Co. maintains that commitment to the environment: solar panels, recycling and being the good stewards of the land we’ve been for generations. My son, Jack, has really taken a lead on this.”

“As a kid, in Salinas, I wore black and white oxford shoes. I was very cool. But then, when I went down to El Centro the kids called me a ‘sissy.’ So we had a few fights, but in the end, when you have to go down there every year, you learn to get along. I made lifetime friends in El Centro and I learned to play marbles, to boot!”

And so goes the upbringing of Jon Vessey who was born and raised in Salinas spending three months each year in El Centro for the winter lettuce season. A Holtville resident since 1966, Jon Vessey is a University of Arizona graduate and owner of a fourth generation farming business, Vessey & Co.

“What makes me really proud, every day, every moment, is seeing the passion my son, Jack, has for the business. I’ve always been a farmer that also runs a business. Jack is both a great farmer and a gifted business man.”  Jack and Jon are pictured together in the photograph at the top of the page.

“That it is safe and healthy. We, as an industry, have gone beyond what science has said we needed to do.”

When asked this question, Jon stared blankly and paused. “It never occurred to me to do anything else.”

Jon Vessey lives in Holtville with his wife, Darla and their two children, Alexis and Phillip. Jon has three grown children: Cameron, Heather and Jack.

The Vessey family supports the El Centro Hospital, Future Farmers of America, and Holtville Pop Warner, among many other organizations.

What’s fun for Jon? “Being together with my family. Sunday barbeque dinner.”