Adolfo
Adolfo came to the farm in 2007 from Rio Verde, Mexico. His favorite crop is Echinacea because it is…
Adrian
Weed eating is a big job at the Gaia Farm. Luckily, Adrian likes to weed. Organic farming can be…
Alejandro
Alejandro has been farming since he was 13 years old. In Mexico he works in the fields growing maize…
Daniel
Daniel likes to pull weeds, a task many farmers would rather not tackle. He says it’s because he can…
Jackie
VP Global Sourcing
A degreed and published plant biologist, Jackie Greenfield works directly with farmers and wild crafters—nationally and…
Jorge
Jorge, also known as “George”, manages our Gaia Farm crew. His roots go back to the start of the…
Lucio
Lucio enjoys harvesting at the Gaia Farm. Digging roots allows him to work directly in the soil, which is…
Luis
Every job here at Gaia is special. But Luis favors picking the vegetables for the Gaia employee CSA (community…
Ric Scalzo, CEO
CEO/President/Founder
As one of North America’s most respected herbalists and botanical researchers, Richard “Ric” Scalzo has more than 25…
Sabino
Sabino has worked at the Gaia Farm for 14 years, which makes him our veteran crewmember, as well as…
Sergio
Juan and his brother, Sergio, came to work at Gaia together. Story has it that when the Luciano brothers…
Servando
Otherwise known as the “Man of 101 Uses” around the farm, Servando takes care of Gaia’s drying rooms, where…
Our people are our strength, and to us, they are more than workers or partners—they are our family. We invite you to meet them by clicking on any of the links above.
Every job here at Gaia is special. But Luis favors picking the vegetables for the Gaia employee CSA (community supported agriculture) project that provides Gaia employees with 20,000 pounds of farm-fresh vegetables each season. Luis gets joy out of seeing the employees’ faces light up when they see all the amazing food he helped produce. A food lover, he used to work in a taqueria back home in Mexico and promises that he makes the best tacos at Gaia! His secret is a unique blend of cilantro, vinegar, carrots and caramelized onions.
In the off-season, Luis returns to his wife and young daughter to gather on the weekends with extended family to have a cookout, much like we do here in North Carolina. They grill steak; prepare beans and a local dish called “pasloes”, a slow-cooked soup made of meat, vegetables, hominy and broth.
When he’s not cooking or eating food he likes to travel throughout Mexico. Luis, along with 30+ friends and family members, make annual pilgrimages to Virgin of Guadeloupe, a trek that requires about two days of walking and praying. The image is housed in the Basilica de Guadeloupe, the most visited Catholic shrine in the world.
Luis likes the Gaia Farm because it reminds him of home. Although the Blue Ridge Mountains that encircle the farm are a bit higher in elevation than where he is from, he says, “La luna mira el mismo en México” or, “the moon looks the same in Mexico”.
