Meet Eric and Christina Amadio of Amadio Ranch Farm Store in Laveen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric and Christina Amadio.

We didn’t mean to be here. We didn’t mean to be farming or on the outskirts of Phoenix, but life sometimes has its own plans. Eric and Christina Amadio have both been professionals for the vast majority of their lives. Christina was a meeting planner. She took big corporate groups overseas to all kinds of exotic locations for corporate promotional programs. Eric has spent most of his adult life building and running a high-end marine aquarium company that catered to the wealthy. So, it was a real surprise to both of them that they ended up farming. Genetically, it’s not that shocking, both came from agricultural families. Both had a love of the outdoors and of good earth.

A strange twist of fate called the 2008 real estate meltdown brought the opportunity to own acreage into the realm of possibility. Land in the Phoenix metro is notoriously expensive but after the real estate crash, there was a short window in which a person who had planned right and had not a small amount of luck could eek his or her way into owning a decent piece of dirt. And we just happened to be positioned to take advantage of it. After getting into our acreage we discovered that we just couldn’t stand to not doing something productive with it. So, it started small. Growing a garden, giving away the abundance. Until the neighbors and family grew so tired of our offers of zucchini that they quit answering the door when we came by. So, we put out an A-Frame that said “Vegetables for Sale.” And it just kinda happened. People started showing up. We loved the happy face and gratitude for fresh good food. So, we grew more. And more. And more!

Our operation now runs all year long. We have a total of 4 vintage trucks that we run all over the east valley selling our produce off the back of. Christina has always made pies for our family and when we added them to the line-up things really boomed. Our pies are known famous all over town along with the fresh vegetables and fruit we grow. The farm operation continues to morph and grow all the time. In the fall, winter, and spring, we host the Laveen Farmers Market here at the farm every two weeks. At the farmers market, people can play with goats, take hay rides, tour our peach orchard, and shop the local craft and art vendors. In addition, we have a self serve farm stand here at the farm. Seven days a week, you can come by and grab all the pie, jams, salsas, raw honey and fresh produce that you need. Every day is a surprise to us, Who knows where this all goes but we sure have fun doing it.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Farming is not easy. Weather, insects, water supply, so many complications that we get to deal with. It promotes a whole lot of humility and nail-biting around here. The sales portion of what we do is a constant struggle to understand what people want and how to show them we have it. Social media has been a great help but is constantly changing and it hard to keep on top of. Employees have been a struggle too. Not many people want to work outside in Phoenix in the summer. Finding and keeping people is very difficult.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Amadio Ranch Farm Store – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
We are primarily known for two things. Peaches and pie. More than any other crop we grow, peaches gets the most oohs and awes. We grow about 15 different types of peaches along with apricots, plums, apples, pears, grapes, and figs. Our pies are still made from scratch just like we have always done and are hugely popular.

Another unique item that sets us apart is our Peach Truck programs of mobile farmers markets. We lovingly restored 4 old vintage farm trucks from the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s and send them out every weekend all over the east valley to be mobile farmers markets.

Is there anyone, in particular, you would like to recognize? Mentors, etc?
The biggest contributor to our success has been the people who have been willing to come to support our small family farm by buying our products. We are very tightly linked to our generous customers and have very close relationships with many of them.

Contact Info:

• Address: Amadio Ranch
  4701 W Dobbins Rd
  Laveen, Arizona 85339
• Website: www.amadioranch.com
• Phone: 6027919633
• Email: happyamadios@yahoo.com
• Instagram: Amadio Ranch
• Facebook: Amadio Ranch Farm Store
• Twitter: Amadio Ranch

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