About Us
History
In 1981 after 20 years of migrating from Texas to different states picking many farm crops, including Blueberries, two Brothers, Al and Miguel Ochoa purchased 67 acres of land and founded A & L Farms, Inc., a Blueberry farm in Grand Haven, Michigan.
Both Al and Miguel had been working in nearby Blueberry fields and packing houses since 1969 as migrant workers.
In the fall of 1982, enough Blueberry bushes were purchased to plant 2 acres and then started a propagation greenhouse to grow their own Blueberry plants. Luz, Al's wife assisted in the propagation of new Blueberry plants, and continues to help to this day.
Al and Miguel kept their day jobs and would work on their own farm until late hours of the night. With some borrowed and rented equipment they started clearing, leveling land, and planting more Blueberries. By 1989 the Blueberry acreage had grown to 40 acres and Al left his other job to concentrate more on the farm. Then yearly more acreage was planted, or producing farms were purchased and the farming operations became too large for Al to handle by himself. In 1996 Miguel joined the farm full time and took over as head of sales and plant operations. A&L Farms, Inc. is now packing Blueberries for the Fresh and Process (Frozen) Markets.
Next Generation
As the farm and production continued growing, Al's son David joined the operation to help manage the growing and packing operation. Miguel's son Derek also joined to help manage the office, sales, and food safety of the operation. All together Al, Miguel, David, and Derek each have their specialties but work together to keep the farm growing and blueberries safe.