Meet Our Farmers: K&C Farms
Farmers Kevin and Cristina Achelpohl, of K&C Farms.
K&C Farms grows near Mattawa, WA, a small town with one round-about and no stop lights. This suits farmers Kevin and Cristina just fine, they value their close knit community. Mattawa is the perfect place for the pair to pursue their shared passion for growing food. Under the moniker K&C Farms, Cristina and Kevin grow orchard fruit and row crops. Kevin is partial to nectarines, plums, and peaches, while Cristina prefers tomatoes and cucumbers. Cristina’s love of cucumbers is absolutely infectious. She’ll often send market staff home with her latest favorite variety, just so they can try it.
The couple’s passion for farming began at an early age. Kevin grew up next to one of the last farms in his bay area suburb in CA. Enchanted by the progression of nature, he would hang around the farm asking to help out, and started his own vegetable garden in his back yard. The farming bug stayed with Kevin into working age. He had a series of jobs on farms and his own landscaping business, anything to be outside growing things. When he moved to Washington for a picking job, Kevin found fresh love in the peaceful and vast landscapes of our state, and in 1997 moved his young family to Mattawa.
Cristina was raised in a small town in Mexico. She tagged along with her mother into the forest, where she was taught how to forage for native edible plants. Cristina’s mother would pair these wild treasures with staples like the corn and beans they grew at home to make unique and delicious meals for the family. From her mother, Cristina learned the value of being creative, persistent, and resilient, qualities she relies upon to this day as a farmer. Cristina quickly adapted to the Columbia Basin climate, and enjoys finding new foods to grow and taste. Kevin will often catch Cristina talking to her plants.
True farm kids, Kevin and Cristina’s daughters grew up helping out at farmers markets, and you will still find them in the K&C tent. The entire family has the joyful warmth of folks who get to do what they love for a living.
”We have fun trying new varieties, meeting, (and continuing to see), wonderful people at the market, eating fresh produce, learning about plants, trying to perfect our techniques, and seeing people's faces light up when they taste fruit that they really enjoy.”
In addition to the West Seattle Farmers Market, you can find K&C Farms produce on the West Seattle Online Market! Shop online for quick and easy pick-up on market day. You can also find K&C’s delicious jams online, a sweet home-grown treat not to be missed!