The Short & Sweet
Namesake: Grandfather George Boskovich Sr. helped build the company that was started by his father, Stephen Boskovich. George Boskovich Jr. is current CEO of Boskovich Farms. And yes, there is a George Boskovich IV, who’s not yet old enough to be part of the fifth generation of the Boskovich family to farm in California…but his time is coming…around the late 2030s. Family: George and his wife, Joanna, have two children: George IV, 6; and Henry, 4. Family Pastime: George Sr., George Jr., and George III are into car collecting, concentrating on those in the Ford family. They have quite a few cars among them including more than a handful of Mustangs. tremendously and started growing green onions, which became Boskovich Farms’ signature crop. In the 1970s, the third generation joined the fold and today two of those members remain in the top leadership positions. George Jr. is the CEO of Boskovich Farms while Phil Jr. runs the growing operations. As a member of the fourth generation, George III is joined by cousins Phil III and Bridget (Phil’s kids) rounding out the quintet of Stephen Boskovich’s family tree currently involved in the 105-year- old company. Today, Boskovich is a well-rounded company with dozens of crops, but George III said green onions are still its number one item. “They represent about 25 percent of what we do.” The company also has significant involvement in spinach, romaine and cauliflower, with foodservice sales accounting for about half of the business. George said COVID and the heavy
College: George earned his business management degree at nearby California State University at Channel Islands. Fun Fact: “Before I popped the question to my bride, we did have subtle conversations about my intention to name my son, if we had one, George IV. If she didn’t agree that would have been a deal- breaker,” he joked. More Name Games: In the office, his colleagues do call him George3, but when the family gets together there has never been an effort to distinguish among the various “George” generations with cute nicknames. “You can tell by the inflection and the tone of voice which George is being referred to,” he said. foodservice focus of Boskovich made 2020 a challenging year. “But we got through it and every week it seems like more of our foodservice business is coming back.” The Fresh Prep CEO knows it is an increasing challenge to farm in California for many well-publicized reasons, but he believes the California ag industry will still be around, in one way or another, to provide opportunities for his children. “There will still be farming in Ventura County for at least another generation,” he predicted. “We may have to change the crops we can grow here, but the Oxnard Plain will still be here,” he said, noting that there has been a moratorium on employing ag land for other uses and he expects that moratorium to be renewed when it soon expires. George, who turned 40 very recently, spends much of his free time with his family. He and Joanna married in 2014 and have two sons with six-year-old George IV showing an aptitude for golf.
Name: George Boskovich III Title: Vice President of Boskovich Farms, CEO of Fresh Prep
“This is my project,” George says, noting that sometimes the commodity and value-added businesses have to make decisions without considering the impact on each other. To be sure, Boskovich Fresh Food Group Inc. is the parent company of both Fresh Prep and Boskovich Farms and the two sister companies do have a symbiotic relationship. But Fresh Prep also works with other growers for supplies of its value- added offerings. In 2020, Fresh Prep added a new value-added product line under its new “Fair Earth Farms” brand. The initial line included single-serve and bagged salad kits in 100 percent compostable packaging, and continues to expand. In 1915, the family farming operation, which would eventually become Boskovich Farms, was started in the Los Angeles area by Stephen Boskovich, who had emigrated to the United States from Croatia in the 1880s. After World War II, Stephen’s three sons—Phil Sr., George Sr. and Joe—took control of the company, expanded it
12
JULY | AUGUST 2021
Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs