Steven Kashiwase grew up on his family’s farm. Although he spent his childhood playing rather than working on the farm, he knew he wanted to be a farmer when he grew up. He studied pomology and entomology in college and took over the family farm right after college. Steven used his education to institute an Integrated Pest Management program. His customers started requesting organically grown fruit and Steven complied by growing his asian pears organically.

Now Kashiwase Farms grows 2 varieties of almonds, 5 varieties of asian pears, 10 varieties of nectarines, 14 varieties of fresh market peaches, 8 varieties of pluots, and 6 varieties of plums on 90 acres of certified organic land.

The hallmark of Kashiwase fruit is its perfect ripeness. The fruit is painstakingly handpicked just before it reaches peak ripeness. The pickers choose fruit by squeezing — checking each piece for soft shoulders. If it gives a little, it gets picked. The fruit that isn’t ready stays on the tree until its time comes. After being picked, the fruit is handled gently and shipped quickly so that it arrives at the consumer's home perfectly ripe and deliciously sweet.