A dream that started with just a strawberry field in Ridgefield has transformed into a variety of crops, a farm stand and frequent farmer’s market vendor booths thanks to the support of community members seeking fresh berries and fruits.
In 2007, on the west side of Interstate 5 in Ridgefield, Fermin Muñoz and his wife, Marcela Venegas Muñoz, planted 20 acres of strawberries, launching Muñoz Berry Farm and Fermin’s dream of growing the fruit.
Now, the couple and their kids have added raspberries, marionberries, boysenberries and more to bring fresh berries to the Clark County community. As well, they sell harvested fruits from the Yakima Valley and elsewhere in eastern Washington.
For over a decade, the Muñoz Berry Farm has been supplying fresh offerings from their U-pick stand in Ridgefield, a La Center roadside stand and more. Some years, like this year, the weather has made it difficult to consistently offer their berries. But, Marcela Venegas Muñoz still feels the support of the community no matter what the weather brings.
“It means the world because every year we try our best to bring the best-quality product, fruit and produce and bring our best prices,” she said. “You know, like this year, we have had a hard time, and we see the love of the community, [which] makes us feel that we are actually making an impact in the community, and everybody is really supportive about that. We’re so grateful and thankful, and that just gives us more motivation to keep going.”
In the future, they hope to continue to expand their produce offerings on their own property, whereas now they lease space to farm their berries.
“A dream or goal for the future is to buy a piece of land and be able to grow all kinds of berries, and that is the vision, that’s the focus,” Marcela Venegas Muñoz said. “But, we’ve seen a lot of farms that are no longer around, and we do believe, strongly, that they should keep some land for farming. Right now, it’s really hard because houses with some land is so expensive, and that’s one of the stumbling blocks stopping us from that.”
As the 2024 season winds down, Marcela Venegas Muñoz said the next berry season begins in June, depending on the weather. In an effort to extend their berry-harvesting season, she said their raspberries will be harvested until the first frost and sold while supply lasts.
To learn more about the Muñoz Berry Farm, visit munozberry.com. Their popular roadside stand in La Center, 318 Pacific Highway, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. most days. The Ridgefield U-pick stand is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the season and is located at the end of South 78th Place.
