What started as a roadside fruit stand in Morgan Hill is now a thriving, family-owned operation on the San Francisco Bay Area Peninsula with much to celebrate in 2025.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 27, 2025 -- Sigona’s Farmers Market, a family-owned produce & specialty foods market with locations in Redwood City and Palo Alto, Calif., is celebrating many milestones in 2025, including: 

·         50 years in business

·         40 years as part of the San Francisco Bay Area Peninsula 

·         17 years of Sigona’s Fruit for Thought & Office Deliveries (based in San Carlos since 2015)

·         Longtime employee anniversaries of 40+ years

Celebrations kick off in April, with Sigona’s branded freebies all month long. As a thank you to the customers, community, employees and local vendors who have supported the family’s business and mission, a cake cutting and meet-and-greet party is scheduled for April 26th. Anniversary-branded gear, accessories and more will be available in the coming months as well. 

The Sigonas have extensive roots in the produce industry; the family’s mission to support local farmers and artisans, and provide fresh, quality products to the community started generations ago. Rose Sigona, née Franzella, mother to the four founding brothers of Sigona’s Farmers Market, worked at her family’s produce market, Franzella Bros. Fruit Market, in San Francisco. Rose later married John Sigona, a waste management employee who moonlighted at the Berryessa Flea Market in San Jose, where he sold fresh produce. As their family grew, John, Rose and their six children all worked weekends together, selling produce at the flea market. 

In 1975, four of John and Rose’s sons, John Jr., Carmelo, Joe and Paul Sigona, opened Coyote Berry Acres, a roadside produce stand, on Monterey Road in Morgan Hill. Between 1975 and 1984, the brothers operated three roadside locations in Morgan Hill. Business was booming until construction of the US 101 bypass diverted traffic around Morgan Hill, prompting the brothers to seek a new location.

The brothers opened their flagship store, Sigona’s Farmers Market, on Middlefield Road in Redwood City, on December 28, 1984. A second location opened in 1998 in the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, and, in 2008, the business sprouted offshoots called Sigona’s Fruit For Thought and Sigona’s Office Deliveries, which have been based in San Carlos since 2015.

“The movement to buy local has become more trendy in the last 15 years, but we’ve naturally always been in support of local,” said Jimmy Sigona, director of Sigona’s Fruit for Thought and Office Deliveries. “My great-grandparents, both the Franzellas and the Sigonas, emigrated from Sicily, and brought with them a passion for what the local land and sea produced. That same passion has continued through generations and has strengthened our community. Providing an outlet for local foods and products benefits not only the customers but an entire ecosystem of local vendors, and adds vibrancy to the community.” 

The family have persevered through ups and downs over the last 50 years, from drastic economic swings to global pandemics and more. Sigona’s Farmers Market remains a quality resource for the community, and Sigona's Office Deliveries and Fruit For Thought spread the same Sigona passion for food and people through deliveries of fresh produce and healthy snacks to office breakrooms, both locally and nationwide.

“There have been hard times, but we’ve been resilient,” said Robbie Sigona, market director and lead produce buyer for Sigona’s Farmers Market. “It’s not by accident we’ve survived in this area. We owe our longevity and successes to the farmers and vendors with whom we have relationships – some are 50 years strong – as well as the loyal customers who’ve been with us on this ride. While we’ve had to innovate and reposition ourselves to stay relevant, we remain dedicated quality, service and friendliness, and we know our customers appreciate that.”

Sigona’s Farmers Market customers and members of the Peninsula community are invited to celebrate this momentous year with the Sigona family. Events, merchandise and more will roll out through the spring and into summer. In addition to the community party on April 26th, Sigona’s Farmers Markets will host small seminars about once a month, from May to July, where some of the founding Sigonas will rotate in to share tips for selecting the best produce, healthy cooking, choosing extra virgin olive oil and more. For dates, more information, coupons and market news, sign up for the Sigona’s e-newsletter at www.sigonas.com. 

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Sigona's Farmers Market is a small, family-owned produce and specialty foods market with locations in Redwood City and Palo Alto, Calif. We welcome you to come to Sigona's where you'll take a step back in time to an old-fashioned, open-air market to taste, feel and experience the way a fresh market used to be.

What started out in 1975 as an everyday farmers' market has grown to meet the needs of our communities, yet still has that same old-fashioned, corner-grocer feel. At Sigona's today you'll find locally grown, organic and best-quality seasonal produce, local and globally sourced specialty foods, gourmet ingredients, more than 250 varieties of artisan cheeses, fresh-cut flowers, microbrews & wine, Fresh Press & seasonal olive oils and balsamics, specialty dried fruits & nuts and more.

Visit our flagship store in Redwood City, across from Costco, or come by our store at the Stanford Shopping Center, next to Pacific Catch and Schaub's Meat Fish & Poultry. 

For more information on our markets, visit www.sigonas.com. For more information about Fruit For Thought and Office Deliveries, visit www.fruitforthought.com and www.sigonasoffice.com.

CONTACT:
Christine Thompson
Sigona’s Farmers Market
christinethompson@sigonas.com