I've had the distinct pleasure of working with Ragu as a mom ambassador over the last several months and aside from the fact that I've been in deep love with the taste and quality of their sauces for years and the fact that they're a SUPERLATIVE way to get a serving of veggies into my picky 6yr old son, what I am most impressed with is their long-standing relationships with the farmers who grow their products.
And so when they good folks at Ragu asked if I'd like to interview one of these farmers they work with– I thought- WOW I LOVE their transparency- and the fact that they are so willing to share just where and how the sauces they make come to fruition.
So without further ado- here are some of the very cool facts I found out about one of their family farmers, Chuck whose farm is located on the west side of the central valley. We are about an hour southwest of Fresno near the town of Huron in California.
-He's a college graduate
-Third generation RAGU farmer
-He's a Dad to two kids ages two and six
-He was raised his whole life on this farm and his family has been working with Ragu since 1972
-He is passionate about the stringent care Ragu puts on their crops, which is carefully monitored and the fact that
Ragu really cares about the farmers they work with. He wanted to make sure I knew that Ragu is a big proponent of farming sustainability and through their relationship with farmers like him, farmers have the means to be more tech savvy and actually use their laptops to control the amount of water being irrigated underground to their crops- virtually- via a laptop. (You can check out this website to find out more about how drip irrigation on the farm works right here: http://www.dripirrigation.org/
-Although his kids aren't big veggie fans they'll down bowls of pasta in Ragu Old world traditional sauce which makes him feel good as it's chock full of veggies.
BOTTOM LINE from Farmer Chuck:
“As for care of the farm we are on site every day doing whatever needs to be done to make the best quality crop that we can, and when I say we that includes myself, my grandfather who will turn 80 in July, my mom and dad, my two uncles, and numerous other family members and longtime employees.”
Why, after this interview I am even more gaga for Ragu? Ragu is NOT keeping people away from their farmers- shrouding how they grows the crops used in their foods– which I LOVE!! These farmers are all about sustainability- and every time you buy a jar of Ragu you are, in essence, supporting them and their endeavors- which makes you feel so good too!
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