Our Story
Eusebio Sayago, our farm manager
Dry Creek Peach is located in the heart of the Dry Creek Valley of Healdsburg in Sonoma County, California. Surrounded by world-renowned vineyards, we are the last remaining peach orchard (1,000 trees) in the valley and the only dedicated, certified organic peach farm in the county. The farm takes advantage of the mineral-rich soil fed by Dry Creek and Winter Creek and the ideal Mediterranean growing climate of Northern California wine country.
The farm has a strong history in the Dry Creek Valley. For over 100 years it has been producing high-quality fruits and produce.
Owners since 2000, Brian Sullivan and Gayle Okumura Sullivan (pictured with son Patrick and Australian Shepherd Sydney) dedicated the farm to organic stone fruit; broadened the product line to include peach jam, cobbler mix, and other products; introduced Dry Creek Peaches to customers and partners including Chez Panisse and Bryan’s; and re-opened the farm stand in the summer.
The Sullivans are active community members involved with organizations such as Healdsburg Jazz, Slow Food, Farm Trails, Rural Chicks, and Dry Creek Valley Association. Gayle is also the Executive Director of Healdsburg Jazz, and Patrick is a jazz-trained musician, composer, band member, and educator.
You can visit the farm when you come to the farm stand in the summer, attend an event through Relish Culinary or Mateo Granados’s Sunday Supper, or support organizations such as Healdsburg Jazz, the Culinary Institute of America, Reach for Home, United Policyholders, and others. Dry Creek Peach is a member of California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), operates with minimal waste (close to zero), and is solar-powered.
The Sullivans manage the overall operations of the farm in conjunction with farm manager Eusebio Sayago and his family. Throughout the year, the team is working the soil or the trees to develop the orchard and to create the healthiest possible environment. Everything used is certified organic. Before summer harvest, many hours have been spent on each tree--pruning, fortifying, thinning, and cultivating.
Assuming Mother Nature cooperates and fruit sets during bloom, Dry Creek Peach leaves peaches on the trees to ripen in the California sun as long as possible to maximize sweetness, nutritional value, and freshness. Then, the fruit is hand-picked (placed in single layers only), hand-sorted, and hand-packed lovingly. Nothing is machine-processed. The workers typically go through four or five rounds of picking per individual tree. All workers take great pride and care in bringing forth the highest quality and most flavorful fruit.
The farm is considered a Sonoma County treasure, as most of the land throughout the county has been converted to grapes. Dry Creek Peach is a symbol of Sonoma County's abundant flavor, agricultural bounty, and rich history.
Dry Creek Peach has been featured in House & Garden, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Edible Marin & Wine Country, Savor Wine Country, Made Local, the Press Democrat, the Healdsburg Tribune, Healdsburg Living, and many other publications.
We thank photographers Marie Arago, Ann Caranza, Paul Dyer, David Tsay, Carrie Brown, and others for their contributions. Special appreciation to Maddy Nakada for helping us get this site together!
