Hidden Gems: Monta Vista Market In Cupertino

Owner Peter Yessne (left) and Manager Brandon Gold.

 

When people travel to Cupertino they often think of Apple computer. And as we are in Silicon Valley, there is certainly nothing wrong with that. But if you are passing through town, we suggest you look for some real, organic apples (and almost any other fruit or veggie you can think of) at the Monta Vista Market. Monta Vista is mid-sized market that has a large selection of local, sustainable and organic produce, milk, eggs, cheese and ready made lunches. As owner Peter Yessne describes the market, "we sell slow food as local as we can find, organic if it exists, and healthy in all cases".

Founded by Peter and his wife Gail, and managed by Brandon Gold, the Monta Vista market opened in 2011. But the Yessnes have been gardening on their own for over 25 years, so they have deep experience with local, organic food. As part of their commitment to local food, Monta Vista has a partnership with the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA). ALBA trains and supports low income farmers in the Salinas valley to become sustainable, organic farmers. Monta Vista sells ALBA produce (ALBA is the primary berry supplier) and donates two percent of the store's sales to support the program.

In addition to local fruits and vegetables, Monta Vista features a wide range of local products including nuts, bread, meat, cheese and hard to find items like raw cow or goats milk. Monta Vista also tries to feature high-quality, local handmade products. The staff is well-educated on all of the products they sell and the produce is beautifully displayed. If you want to see some fresh produce with bright colors, Monta Vista is a very pleasant store to browse. And all of the produce is fully labelled with product information and origin, so consumers know exactly what they are buying.

And not only does Monta Vista sell the most local, sustainable and organic produce, but they "walk the walk" within their store. Monta Vista is the only fully-certified Bay Area Green Business by the City of Cupertino and County of Santa Clara. And Peter and Brandon are more than happy to explain all of the steps they take to maintain a truly "green" business. So if living green and buying local and organic are important to you, a visit to to Cupertino may be in order....we might even suggest a road trip.

Monta Vista Market is located at 21666 Steven's Creek Blvd. (Near the junction of 280 and 85). The phone number is 408-777-0330. The website is www.MontaVistaMarket.com.

For more information on Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), visit www.AlbaFarmers.org.