Our Story

In 1956 Martin Pulido purchased the original Pulido Ranch. There was only approximately 1 acre of Apricot trees on the original 10 acres, the rest were prunes. Martin and his sons removed the prunes and planted an additional 8 acres of Apricots. The family has been producing and drying Apricots ever since.

After 62 years, Martin’s legacy still lives on as Pulido Farms, owned and operated by his son, John Pulido and his family.

Pulido Farms began as a wholesale operation but added farmers markets to their schedule. Old school techniques are still used in every step — no machinery is used to cut, sort or dry the Apricots. The Apricots are laid out on wooden trays and dried in the sun. Due to customer demand, Pulido Farms also started drying unsulfured Apricots.

Did you know that the word "Apricot" means "Precious" in Latin? Apricots ripen earlier than most summer fruits, making them a precious commodity every spring.

Apricot trees take approximately five to seven years to produce at full capacity. Once the fruit is ripe it must be picked quickly. There is a short window of just a few weeks to harvest which is typically between the end of June and the middle of July. Fresh Blenheim Apricots only have a shelf life of a couple of days once they ripen unless being kept chilled.

The Apricot tree emerged in China more than 4,000 years ago and eventually made its way across Asia to the Mediterranean. Centuries later, Spanish explorers introduced the Apricot to the New World and planted the trees all over the west coast.

Today, Pulido Farms continues that rich tradition in Hollister, CA.

Whether you prefer them fresh or our favorite sun dried, every day is a good day to enjoy an Apricot!