Our story, rooted in tradition
Discover the journey of TK Farm, a specialty crop operation bringing authentic Lao and Asian vegetables to California. Learn about our commitment to quality, community, and cultural heritage in every harvest.
From a personal need to a thriving farm
Pouna Saiprasert founded TK Farm after noticing a significant gap: fresh, authentic Lao vegetables like bitter melon, singua, and long beans were scarce in California’s Central Valley. Produce often arrived underripe or was entirely unavailable. Her vision was to cultivate the vegetables her family cherished, harvested at their peak flavor and readiness.
Our unique approach involves farming just six acres across two locations. We prioritize traditional Lao seed varieties and meticulous hand-harvesting to ensure exceptional quality. TK Farm focuses exclusively on wholesale, delivering produce from the field to Asian grocery stores and restaurants on the same day. This small, intentional operation is deeply rooted in cultural knowledge, ensuring every vegetable offers the authentic taste it should, grown locally and picked at its prime.
Our guiding values: authenticity, stewardship, and community
At TK Farm, authenticity, stewardship, and community form the bedrock of our operations. Authenticity is evident in our dedication to growing traditional Lao seed varieties, such as bitter melon, singua, and long bean, resisting modifications for shipping convenience. Stewardship guides our practices through hand-harvesting at optimal ripeness, employing efficient drip irrigation across our six acres, and never overextending the land's capacity.
Our commitment to community drives our wholesale model. We ensure fresh, culturally significant vegetables reach Asian grocery stores and restaurant kitchens, prioritizing local access over tourist markets. We also honor Lao agricultural knowledge by sharing traditional harvesting techniques and culinary tips alongside our produce. These values mean we take no shortcuts—just honest vegetables cultivated with cultural integrity, distributed to those who truly appreciate them.
Cultivating community through cultural produce
TK Farm strengthens our community by ensuring traditional Lao and Asian vegetables are readily available through local grocery stores and restaurants, moving beyond niche farmers' markets. For Lao, Hmong, Thai, and Vietnamese families across California’s Central Valley, having access to authentic bitter melon, singua, and long beans at neighborhood Asian markets means they can prepare ancestral recipes without compromise, preserving vital food traditions across generations.
We also foster economic opportunity by employing Lao and Southeast Asian crew members whose cultural knowledge enriches our daily farm work. Our wholesale partnerships empower small grocers to stock fresh, local produce, reducing reliance on imported goods. Our impact is practical: we keep cultural vegetables in regular rotation, support local food access, and value the people who grow and cook them.
"TK Farm's produce is exceptional. Their long beans are just like the ones my grandmother grew, full of authentic flavor. It's a taste of home."
Restaurant Owner