Steve Barnard

Mission Produce
Oxnard, California

 Words to live by

“Keep smiling and act like you know something.
If you’re not talking, they know that you don’t.”

Mission Produce

Mission Produce

Steve and his partner Ed Williams started Mission Produce in 1983. Their focus then was avocados, and remains so to this day. Today, the company is in five countries and employs more than 100 people worldwide. Mission produce has a national avocado distribution network that includes seven ripening centers.

Roots in Agriculture

“My father was a farmer of citrus and avocados in Ventura County,” say Steve Barnard, president of Mission Produce. “I knew I wanted to get into ag, but wasn’t sure how. I went to Cal Poly San Luis and majored in Agricultural Business. During my college summers, I tried different jobs and products, from ranching to working in a packing house to harvesting cannery tomatoes.

“Once out of college, I was looking for permanent work. My dad’s business was, of course, something to ponder until he said, ‘This place isn’t big enough for the both of us – figure out your own thing.’”

Paying His Dues

It turned out to be great advice. Steve sent out one resume to Santa Clara Produce. “I kind of forced my way in. I said to them, ‘I’m going to be in town at 11a and would like to see you.’” Their response to Steve: “We’re not hiring.” “Yes you are. Your season starts in two weeks and I’ll do anything.” At Santa Clara Produce, Steve started working 120 hours per week for $120 per week. “I started as a loader in the cooler; worked both shifts and did it with a smile. Soon, I was promoted to foreman and got to wear a red hard hat instead of a white one.” Steve worked in the cooler for about a year and then went into the training program. By age 24, he ran the field harvesting crews of about 400 people. “It was a great experience. I did that for six years in El Centro, Santa Maria, Lompoc and Oxnard.”

So How Did He End Up In Avocados?

Steve got married in 1980 and was looking to reduce his travel. The harvesting position kept him on the road for nine month of the year. Earlier, in 1977, Santa Clara got into the avocado business, which at the time, seemed for the wrong reason: to supplement their other commodities. Avocados were a bit of a step-child. In 1982 Steve was asked to become the general manager of the avocado department to replace a retiring manager. This move provided Steve both an opportunity to reduce his travel and gave him a chance to grow the avocado market.

Setting Out on His Own

“At 30 and bullet proof, I proposed to the owners [of Santa Clara Produce] that they create a separate avocado business unit in which I could have some ownership stake. They said ‘No, thank you,” Steve recalls. As a result, in 1983, one of the Santa Clara partners, Ed Williams, and Steve got a prospectus together and raised $900,000 dollars to start Mission Produce. Now, Mission Produce is in five countries, has a national distribution network of seven ripening centers, with more than 1,000 employees worldwide.

Ripe Avocados

In the mid 90's, Mission tried a “modified atmosphere box” to store green avocados longer and keep ripe fruit fresh longer. “Problem was,” Steve said, “if you broke the cold link for even a few minutes, the fruit could be ruined. We couldn’t leave it on the dock for even 5 or 10 minutes.” While that first ripe idea had its flaws, Mission Produce did learn that consumers loved ripe avocados. “Ralphs was the first to partner with us using ripe avocados and sales went up 300%!” Ripening processes have now come down to an exact science, complete with a “firmness tester” and several grades of ripeness.

Personal

Steve and his wife Shelly have two sons, Keith and Ben, who are both pursuing careers in produce. Keith recently graduated from his father’s alma mater, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Ben is currently a student there.