Los Angeles in the early 1980s was getting to be too hectic for Helene and Robert Beck. They aspired to a simpler, more serene existence. They found it just to the south, in San Diego county. It’s also where they found their next phase of life, as fruit ranchers.

In 1982, San Diego’s north county was rural and pastoral. Land abounded, and the temperate environment made it an ideal place to settle into a simpler life. On recommendation from a friend who had moved there, Helene and Robert investigated Fallbrook, and found it to their liking. They found a house far enough out of town to feed their need for peace and quiet, but close enough to have access to services.

Like much of the region, the Becks’ new property was mainly populated by avocado trees. However, they were long in the tooth and nearing the ends of their lives. They didn’t want to replace them with more avocado, as the crop has been in decline for years due to a root rot called phytophthora,  threatening avocados not just in California but worldwide. As avocado trees went out, they sought to replace them with alternatives. At the time, local nurseries mainly sold citrus, so that’s what they went with. But Helene and Robert didn’t want the same old same old.

They sought out less-known varieties, planting blood orange, minneolas, kaffir limes and kumquats, as well as others. Looking to expand beyond citrus, they sought something they thought was even more esoteric: Persimmons. They planted fuyus, the crisp persimmons that can be eaten out of hand. But when they took them to market, they discovered that they didn’t have such a novel idea after all. There was plenty of competition in the persimmon market locally.

But when the fruit comes in, it waits for no one. Left with a glut of persimmons, they got innovative. They had the fruit pureed and frozen, and packaged and sold that. Looking for further secondary market uses, they added just a pinch of dry ginger and had it dehydrated via a local facility, producing the fruit leather they sell today.

The Becks believe in the health benefits of their crops. In Chinese lore, kumquats are believed to help with breathing, and persimmons are good for the heart. Healthy fruit must come from healthy trees, so the Becks farm biodynamically, using only natural methods to keep pests at bay.