“Growing sweetpotatoes isn’t for the faint of heart,” says Sarah Alvernaz.
And she ought to know. Sarah is General Manager and Sales for California Sweet Potato Growers, plus she and her husband Matt farm about 130 acres. Often confused with California Sweetpotatoes, an industry organization, California Sweet Potato Growers is a sweetpotato shipper—which means Sarah handles packing, shipping, and selling for several sweetpotato farming operations. “I wear many hats, from sales to accounting, to HR, you name it.”
Some of Cal Sweet’s customers have been with them since the beginning, in 1963. “They make doing business feel like a true partnership.” Sarah also has an amazing crew that helps make it all happen. “Especially my foreman,” she adds, who’s been with Cal Sweet for 35 years.
Sarah’s is a sweetpotato family through and through. Each of her three kids spent their first five months with her at the office. “One of the perks of a family business!” she laughs. You might wonder how the Alvernaz’s like to eat them. “Roasted with olive oil and Brussels sprouts, with apples and cinnamon, and in mini sweetpotato pies,” Sarah reports. She also loves to decorate cookies and cakes when she can. (We’ve seen her creations—they’re pretty spectacular!)
“As a farm wife, I know the sacrifice that it takes to be a grower,” she admits. “It’s a lot of hard work, countless hours, and there’s a tremendous amount of risk every year.” But that knowledge is what inspires her to do her best for her growers.
“For me, it’s not about the sale—it’s about the health and future of our industry.”
