Major strawberry grower for Driscoll's calls it quits in coastal California

San Francisco Chronicle / SFGate.com ^ | Nov 5, 2026 | By Andrew Pridgen, Central California Editor

[thecodont]

A producer of California strawberries announced last week the sudden planned closure of facilities in a move that may portend more bad news to come for embattled Central California farmers.

SoCal Berry Growers, a supplier for berry giant Driscoll’s, sent a letter to Oxnard city councilmember Bert Perello Saturday notifying him and the rest of the city council that the company “will permanently discontinue its operations” at six locations in Ventura County.

[...]

The study specifically calls out California policy as one example of these costs going out of control: “Water quadrupled. Labor nearly doubled.” Irrigation water, which cost $22.10 per acre-inch in 2007, cost $88.83 in 2025, it says. Labor costs went from $13 an hour in 2020 to $25.16 in 2025.

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: agriculture; strawberries

[kaktuskid]

Expect more diarrhea inducing strawberries from Mehico.

[Buck-Toothed Knuckle Dragger]

Sounds good to me. No one should be eating the genetically transmogrified frankenberries they grow anyway.

[Fresh Wind]

Driscoll’s is the company that makes sure that flavorless unripe strawberries fill the bottom layers of store packaging.

[kiryandil]

Holy Carp!

Driscoll’s is a big name in strawberries. Think I got a pound on hand right now!

[Enterprise]

"The impending closure and layoff of more than 500 workers come just months after the workers of SoCal Berry Growers voted to unionize. In July, employees unionized under United Farm Workers of America."

"At the time, SoCal Berry Growers challenged the move, accusing United Farm Workers of misconduct. But in August, the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board ruled that the election “was not conducted improperly” and the move to unionize was upheld."

So how did that work out for you? Proud to be member of the UFW? Indeed. When the farms close down, go to Mexico and unionize there chumps. And you did all vote for Democrats didn't you?

[KingLudd]

Stawberries begin rotting within hours of getting them home.

[minnesota_bound]

The developers want the open land in Oxnard. They bribe the politicians who then make it near impossible to grow food.

[Kudsman]

More affordability, Democrat style.

[vivenne]

I believe it.

[PeaRidge]

ATLAS is shrugging.

[zeestephen]

Oxnard is roughly 25 miles south of Santa Barbara and 25 miles north of Malibu.

There is a lot of very expensive real estate between those three cities.

[eyeamok]

I know the area well, this is going to leave a mark!!

[Mlheureux]

Plant City Florida is doing well growing strawberries. They have a strawberry festival every year. That company needs to move here.

[TheDon]

Quite so. California will be passing Directive 10-289 soon no doubt.

[ridesthemiles]

GROW YOUR OWN