With the busiest days of our 2023 harvest season behind us we’re taking some time to reflect on how grateful we are for our family and our business. We also feel immense gratitude for another good growing season, that remarkable rain that filled our reservoirs and fed our water table, for the warm California sunshine that nourishes our crops – and for you, our valued partners. We also feel thankful for the Bella Viva Orchards team that works so hard throughout the year so we can offer you so many healthful products. There’s just so much to appreciate!

As we celebrate this year’s bounty, Apples are front and center and it just so happens to be National Apple Month. Speaking of Apples, we are excited to announce that we have added Natural Sweet Apples (Low Moisture) and Certified Organic Sweet Apples (Low Moisture) to our offerings and they are available now!!

Enjoy simmering up some of Angela’s Spiced Apple Cider. While you’re making your home cozy with that amazing Spiced Apple Cider recipe, enjoy the aromas, flavors and warmth of this delightful beverage while relaxing with your favorite throw blanket. While you’re surrounded with that Apple goodness, just imagine how you might extend the simplicity, joy and goodness of these beautiful Apples to your customers. Cheers!

Contact Us

sales@bellaviva.com or 1-800-552-8218 for information on our natural and organic low moisture sweet apples.

This easy recipe, starring Bella Viva Orchards’ Diced Pears, Dried Coconut, Whole Pecans and Dried Strawberries is packed with flavor and good-for-you ingredients. Once your family and friends try this granola, they’ll beg for the recipe, so we say double the recipe and share the joy!

Yields: 6 cups

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

4 cups old fashioned oats

¾ cup Bella Viva Orchards’ Shredded Coconut (Sweetened or Unsweetened)

¾ cup Bella Viva Orchards’ Pecan Pieces

2 tablespoons coconut oil

½ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cardamom

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon kosher salt

3-4 tablespoons water

1 cup Bella Viva Orchards’ Diced Pears or Natural Dried Diced Pears

½ cup Bella Viva Orchards’ Dried Whole Strawberries, diced

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl mix the oats, Coconut and Pecans and set aside.

In a small saucepan, mix water, brown sugar, spices and salt. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Pour sauce mixture into oats and stir well.

Spread out onto prepared pans. Bake for approx. 35 minutes until toasted and aromatic, stirring every 15 minutes. After 35 minutes, stir in the Dried Strawberries and Pears and cook another 10 minutes. Let cool completely and store in a jar.

When September comes around, it signals many things: The beginning of the fall season, heading out to watch the kids and grandkids play their sports and getting out into our orchards to harvest our beloved Certified Organic Prunes!

For those of you who’ve been reading our newsletters for a while you’re familiar with how proud we are to be growing these fruits in orchards that have been in our family for over 100 years – the same land where the Martino kids grew up! In 2021 we released our first harvest of Certified Organic Prunes and we’re excited that this year’s the biggest harvest yet!

Recently, Victor shared a memory:

“Remember my recent story about how I grew up on a Peach orchard? Well, that orchard was right next to my family’s Prune orchard. For as long as I can remember, during this time of year, I’d be picking Prunes with my family after school every day. Back in those days, we’d dry our Prunes in the sun as the hot days of summer were coming to a close. To get the drying process started, we’d dip the fresh fruits in boiling water to break their skins so the moisture could escape more easily. When I was 12 my father taught me how to get a raging wood fire going under a big pot that was basically half of a 55 gallon drum. Once the water was boiling he put me in charge of dipping large colanders of prunes in the boiling water. I can still hear his voice ‘Put them in and count to 30. If they’re in too long they’ll turn to mush; not long enough and the skins won’t be cracked. And be careful not to get burned.’ By the time I was 15 I was proud to be in charge of overseeing the whole Prune drying process. A lot has changed since the ’60s and ’70s – but our obsession with producing the perfect Prune has always been our guide. Today we dry our Prunes with modern dehydrators. We love nostalgia, but we’re happy to say that we now have a safer – and just as healthful – way to go about it!”

Another prime fruit that’s currently being harvested is our Certified Organic Pears. These fruits are grown in what you might think of as Pear paradise: A place where miles of California Delta waterways are dotted with small agricultural communities where hard-working Pear farmers grow their crops in a climate that’s perfect for this fruit!

Our Certified Organic Pears are sustainably grown by local partners who share the same farming values as us. A big plus: They are grown in a pesticide-free environment and are free of any additives!

We invite you to imagine the orchards where these Certified Organic Prunes and Pears are grown and get fired up about how you might incorporate them into your food or beverage product line. Enjoy this month’s specials and let us know how you and your company use these prime fruits!

Happy fall, partners!

Contact Us

sales@bellaviva.com or 1-800-552-8218 for discounted pricing on Bella Viva Orchards’ own Certified Organic Dried Pears and Certified Organic Pitted Prunes

July: New WHOLE Strawberries and What’s Behind a Name?

July is a time of year when we at BVO recognize the birth of our great nation by introducing our new style of strawberries that are “WHOLE” giving them an even more pleasing chewiness to go along with their more intense tangy-sweet flavor profile.

This year’s strawberry crop has been amazing.We were able to get most of this season’s supply from just down the road from us, which sure helps in minimizing our footprint which is an important portion of our corporate mission.

For a deeper understanding of who we are, read on to learn the story behind our name, as shared by Angela:

“In the early ‘90s we had completed our family with two beautiful daughters. Following the Martino family tradition, and Italian tradition in general, we named our first daughter after Victor’s mother, Vivian Martino. We named our second daughter after my mother, Belle Gose. Our mothers were women who truly embodied the meanings of their names: Vivian signifies full of life and Belle signifies beautiful. Both grandmothers had raised their families with strong values of faith, family, taking care of our planet and working hard for the things that matter. They also both taught us that fruit is an incredible gift and BEAUTIFUL.

We were truly enjoying a Beautiful Life as we grew our family and our business. We had hired a corporate identity agency that suggested we rename ourselves to align with our mission and purpose: To produce beautiful fruit that would create beauty in the life of every person we touched, whether customers, employees or vendors, while maintaining harmony with our earth and her resources. It was a tall order to think of a name that would communicate this purpose. We spent many hours brainstorming, pondering and waiting for inspiration. Then it came!

It was a beautiful day. We were hanging out at home and playing with our daughters. I felt purely blessed to have the luxury of watching my husband romping with our two beautiful girls. As I looked from girl to girl it hit me! Vivian, Belle…Belle Vivian…Bella Viva! Beautiful Life. It was just right for us!

Bella Viva is a name that is deeply connected to our mothers, their lives and what mattered to them. It remains in us and it’s our aim that everything surrounding a Beautiful Life will be instilled in our grandchildren and generations to come. Elements of that Beautiful Life include faith, family, love of our planet, producing beautiful fruit and promoting a Beautiful Life to everyone who is touched by our product. Beautiful Fruit. Beautiful Life. Bella Viva.

Then, and even stronger today, over 30 years later, our mission remains the same. Victor has a great way of putting it:

“To enhance the human experience through creating choices in the marketplace that are honestly nutritious, flavorful, visually pleasing and socially and environmentally just.”

As we look back to those days and appreciate the life we enjoy today, we invite you to revisit your own story. Great, ‘cause Angela is sharing her secret recipe for lower-sugar Vanilla Ice Cream with Dried Berry Compote, in case you are interested.

While you kick back, you can give your budget a rest, too, ‘cause from now through the end of July, to celebrate Independence Day, we’re offering our NEW Dried Strawberries (whole and unsweetened) for 10 percent off. A deal like this just may get those product development creative juices flowing!

Think of how you can add them to your food or beverage lineup! This summer, we invite you to give yourself some time to relax and think about what might be part of your own Beautiful Life. Happy July and happy Independence Day, partners!

At Bella Viva Orchards it’s our mission to enhance the human experience through creating choices in the marketplace that are honestly nutritious, flavorful, visually pleasing and socially and environmentally just. And we understand what matters most: Food safety, transparency and continuity of supply – all while delivering the very best flavor straight from nature and providing consistency and competitive pricing. As your partner in innovation, we are committed to your success and here to support your efforts every step of the way. As pioneers and market leaders in the Natural Dried Fruit sector, it’s our privilege and honor to serve you and promote our message of a “Beautiful Life” – our wish for you – since 1988.

Apricots On The Tree At BellaViva Orchards – And Yes, That’s an Owl Box

It’s Apricot harvest time here in California’s Central Valley and right now, our team’s getting ready to harvest our prized Certified Organic California Apricots that are grown in an orchard that’s been in the Martino family since 1943. With this harvest upon us we’d like to offer you a nice discount this month. It’s an excellent time for you to get inspired about Apricots and develop new items incorporating Bella Viva Orchards’ Certified Organic Apricots.

If you’d like to reminisce with us and pick up some Martino Family trivia, read on! You’re also welcome to contact us via phone: 209-883-4146 or email:sales@bellaviva.com to access your discount.

As we muse upon our past we hope to inspire you to look back on your own company history and feel the kind of pride and gratitude that we feel. So, we were recently reminiscing about how long we’ve been farming and how fortunate we are to run a family-operated business. Way back in the 1970s when Angela, then a 7-year old newcomer from the Midwest, first tasted California-grown Apricots she was amazed. She and her family hadn’t had anything like it due to the cold Midwest winters and the lack of fruit availability in their stores at that time. During her family’s first June here, they went fruit stand hopping to gather up over-ripe and blemished Apricots. They used a home drying system and sent the dried fruits as gifts to their Midwestern relatives. It was that first June in Modesto that Angela and her family ventured out to the Martino family’s fruit stand. She’s almost positive it was then that she first met Victor, an 8-year old boy who was helping his dad and mom at the family fruit stand.

Who’d have known that they would later get married, have kids of their own and start Bella Viva Orchards?

While it was so many years ago, in many ways it seems like just yesterday.

Angela still loves those Apricots! She takes great pride in what she and Victor and their amazing team bring to the CPG space. She recalls with gratitude that it WAS and still IS such a beautiful life.

As you think of the harvest of Certified Organic California Apricots from the Martino family’s legacy orchard and the story of how Angela met Victor, allow yourself to reminisce about your own days of old and maybe how things were in the early days for your company. While you’re at it, imagine how our Certified Organic California Apricots can so easily become part of YOUR story.

Our Certified Organic California Apricots pack a bright, tart and sweet pop of flavor in every bite and would lend themselves easily to a wide variety of food and beverage products. And there’s absolutely nothing added!!

sales@bellaviva.com or 1-800-552-8218 for discounted pricing on Bella Viva Orchards’ own Certified Organic California Apricots.

Visit Bella Viva Manufacturing

Join Bella Viva at the The Sweets & Snacks Expo

May 23rd-25th, 2023

McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.

Booth #11089

Join Bella Viva at the Natural Products Expo West

Anaheim March 9th – 11th, 2023
Booth #908

Flourishing in Philidelphia – Need fruit?

Come visit Team BVO at the Philly Convention Center- Natural Products Expo East Booth 2138
#expoeast #flourishinginphilly #teambvo #onthehunt #needfruit #nothingadded #justgoodforyou

Gleanings Help for Ukraine

March 25, 2022

Earlier this month, Bella Viva had the humbling opportunity to prepare product for shipments to Ukraine and surrounding areas with our long-time partner, Gleanings For The Hungry. We’ve been partnering with Gleanings for many years to combat hunger both locally and globally, but this one hits different.

Our dried fruits are not only incredibly delicious, but also packed full of nutrients and shelf-stable, making them ideal food products for nourishment and sustenance. When we were called upon to help in Gleanings’ response to the current situation in Ukraine, we knew our products could make a difference.

Over the last 10 years, we have had the opportunity to donate over 5 million servings of dried fruit worldwide, with the intention of bettering the lives of those within our human family through healthy nourishment.

For more information, visit gleanings.org

Category: Uncategorized

Awesome October: National Apple Month

In the Kitchen: Bella Viva Orchards’ Spiced Pear Granola

Sweet September: Prunes and Pears Abound!

1980 Newspaper Article – Martino Family Growing and Selling Fresh Fruit

July: New WHOLE Strawberries and What’s Behind a Name?

July: New WHOLE Strawberries and What’s Behind a Name?

Calling all CPG Innovators: Apricot Harvest Is Upon Us!

See You at The Sweets & Snacks Expo

See you at Natural Products Expo West

Flourishing in Philidelphia – Need fruit?

Flourishing in Philidelphia – Need fruit?

Gleanings Help for Ukraine

Gleanings Help for Ukraine