When it comes to summertime weather, it’s pretty much a given that July is warm and sometimes downright hot! It’s a time of year when we love lounging on the back porch with a nice cold glass of lemonade, some of our favorite tunes, sharing stories from years past, and if we’re lucky, a big bowl of ice cream crowned with our favorite toppings! Toppings like Bella Viva Orchards’ Strawberries and Blueberries? We say yesssss! And it’s the perfect time to bring in that red, white and blue, too! Let yourself take in the joys of summer by slowing down, kicking back and getting your summer chill goin’.
You noticed that we mentioned Strawberries. They’re on our mind a lot right now, ‘cause this year’s Strawberry crop is huge! So huge that we were able to get most of this season’s supply from just down the road from us. We’re talking walking distance, friends. And to make that story even sweeter is that these berries are large, sweet and grown by small family farms. You win: You get the benefits of these growers’ hard work and responsible practices and you get great quality, sweet-tangy intense strawberry flavor and fragrance in every single bite. Bring it on! Everything about our New Whole Dried Strawberries makes our hearts sing because we love creating incredible experiences for you and supporting our local micro growers who share our values.
Around the time when we brought in these beautiful local Strawberries, we got to talking about how long we’ve been farming and we thought you might want to know a little more about who we are. To back it up, the Martino family came to the Modesto area from a town in Southern Italy over a hundred years ago. Victor’s immigrant relatives had a passion for farming. That passion for farming, love of family, love for the earth and faith are a deep part of the Martino family’s fabric. Angela’s family came to the United States in 1870 from Germany and landed in the Midwest, where they farmed soybeans, corn and row crops. In the 1970’s, Angela’s family moved to Modesto, where she was taught a love of gardening and the arts of growing and preserving one’s own food, especially the gorgeous fruits of the Central Valley. She and Victor married in the 1980’s and had two daughters. The names of their daughters would go on to inspire the name Bella Viva Orchards.
Angela shared a story:
“In the early ‘90s we had completed our family with two beautiful daughters. Following the Martino family tradition, and Italian tradition in general, we named our first daughter after Victor’s mother, Vivian Martino. We named our second daughter after my mother, Belle Gose. Our mothers were women who truly embodied the meanings of their names: Vivian signifies full of life and Belle signifies beautiful. They raised their families with strong values of faith, family, taking care of our planet and working hard for the things that matter. They also both taught us that fruit is an incredible gift and BEAUTIFUL.
Also in the early ‘90s it was time to give our young business a name. We spent many hours brainstorming, pondering and waiting for inspiration. Then it came!
It was a beautiful day. We were hanging out at home and playing with our daughters. I felt purely blessed to have the luxury of watching my husband romping with our two beautiful girls. As I looked from girl to girl it hit me! Vivian, Belle…Belle Vivian…Bella Viva! Beautiful Life. It was just right for us!
Bella Viva is a name that is deeply connected to our mothers, their lives and what mattered to them. It remains in us and it’s our aim that everything surrounding a Beautiful Life will be instilled in our grandchildren and generations to come. Elements of that Beautiful Life include faith, family, love of our planet, producing beautiful fruit and promoting a Beautiful Life for everyone who touches our product. Beautiful Fruit. Beautiful Life. Bella Viva.”
As we look back to those days and appreciate the life we enjoy today, we invite you to imagine being on your own back porch with your own memories. Be sure to include that bowl of ice cream with berry compote. Want to indulge while reminiscing about yourself reminiscing about your own company name? Great, ‘cause Angela is sharing her secret recipe for Vivian’s Vanilla Ice Cream with Dried Berry Compote. While you kick back, you can give your wallet a rest, too, ‘cause from now through the end of July, to celebrate Independence Day and the warm days of summer, we’re offering our NEW Dried Strawberries (whole and unsweetened) for 25 percent off – that’s $24.74 per pound, our Certified Organic Dried Blueberries (unsweetened) for 25 percent off – that’s $25.19 per pound, and our Diced Roasted Almonds to top off that ice cream for 10 percent off – that’s $8.99 per pound. Want to get tropical with it? Since Mangoes are being harvested this month, we’re offering our Certified Organic Dried Mangoes for 10 percent off, too – meaning you can pick up any amount you want for $14.40 per pound. This summer, we invite you to give yourself some time to relax and think about what might be part of your own Beautiful Life. Happy July and happy Independence Day, friends!
