The Mountain View Story

The Mountain View team was founded by Randy and Ruth Ataide, Bill and Becky Janzen, and Mike and Peggy Thurlow in 1994. Having known each other for many years but never working directly together, the principals determined that there was the need for a different type of produce company to enter the marketplace. Each of the principals believed that in the modern agri-business world, the small and medium sized Growers and Packers were being dominated by corporate concerns, and that the family farm way of life were in jeopardy. The Ataide, Janzen and Thurlow families wanted to try to do something about this situation.

Joining with like-minded local farmers of nectarines, peaches, plums and apricots, Mountain View broke ground on a state-of-the-art cold storage and distribution facility located in the very heart of their Growers fields. Surrounded by orchards and vineyards, this facility was intended to demonstrate the commitment of the founders to the family farms they served, and to prevent their fruit from being hauled long distances after picking for sorting, packing, storage and shipping.

Starting slowly, with just a few Packers and Growers, Mountain View has grown significantly over the years. Our few Packers now total eleven family owned and operated packing sheds, and each of these sheds demonstrates the commitment, and dedication and tradition that only those who farm and live on the land can have. These packing sheds continue in the rural ways lost on the “factory farms” of the tremendous experience of the entire family working together during the harvest season. Time-honored family traditions prevail in the Mountain View group of Packers. Our grower base has grown as well, with now over one hundred growers aligned with Mountain View to bring the finest quality fresh fruit to the consumer.

In 1999, shortly before the beginning of the harvest season, tragedy struck the Mountain View family, with co-founders Bill and Becky Janzen, and their young sons Jared and Justin, being killed in an automobile accident. Their loss was a great blow to the entire community, but their extended and community family stepped in and did only what family farmers do in such situations: they pull together and carry on, honoring the legacy of those who have passed. The Janzen legacy continues to be at the heart of the Mountain View team, and they are not forgotten at any time.

The Mountain View team of family owned packing sheds consist of:

“When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization.”

-Daniel Webster