Inside KB Series

On 6/21/2014, Kitayama Brothers opened our doors and shared our story with the public. 

KB annual open house is part of the Monterey Bay Greenhouse Growers Open House.

A benefit event to raised money for Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks.

A fun-filled day with lots of activities and of course, so many beautiful pictures 

that we've decided to run our open house blog as a series.

Welcome to KB - Part 1

Kitayama Brothers Inc. was established in 1948 by four brothers: Tom, Ray, Kee, and Ted.  Our greenhouse in Watsonville opened in 1970, and we grow cut flowers in 1.4 million square feet of temperature-controlled greenhouses and approximately 10 acres of field flowers.

KB Founders

KB Timeline - A History of Flowers & Family

Thank you everyone for your hard work before, during and after the open house.

And to all who attended our open house, we hope you left KB Farms 

delighted by our people, educated by our speakers, and inspired to ask for, 

"KB Flowers" 

~ Linda 

Kitayama Brothers

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Save the Date - June 21

2014 Kitayama Brothers Open House

we are part of the 

Monterey Bay Greenhouse Growers Open House Event

Saturday, June 21 – 10am to 4pm

www.kitayamabrothers.com

·         We like this event because it gives us a chance to open our doors to the public and share with people what we do. The Watsonville location has been here since 1970.

·         KB has been a family owned and operated company since 1948, that’s 66 years! There will be family members, shareholders and some employees helping out.

·         “The Company” as we all refer to it, was started by 4 brothers: Tom, Ted, Ray and Kee Kitayama, and was started in the San Francisco Bay Area in Union City. We also had locations in Brighton, Colorado and Watsonville, California. Watsonville is the only location still in operation.

·       Proceeds from all sales go to support “Friends of the Santa Cruz State Parks.” As the state struggles economically, we think it is important to keep our local parks open and safe.

Tour KB Greenhouses (Inside Look – Highlights)

·       Seeding area and Germination

·       Rotation and Sterilization

·       Snapdragons

·       Lilies

·       Lisianthus: aka Texas Bluebell

·       Gardenias

·       Gerbera Daisies: aka: Transvaal Daisy (South Africa)

~ Dave Kitayama

Takeshi (Gish) Endo

Takeshi “Gish” Endo passed away on May 23, 2014 at the age of 97 years young.  About 400 family members, floral workers and friends attended the services at the Oakland Buddhist Church on June 7, 2014.  Many of the Kitayama Family members attended the service as we always considered Gish and his wife Takako family. 

In 1956, Gish opened Gish Endo Wholesale Florist at the San Francisco Flower Market.  He worked until the last “Market Day” before Christmas in 2010.  There were no chairs at Gish’s Wholesale House because in the 54 years, he never sat down.  On the last market day he worked, Gish sat on a bucket and said that he was tired and he never said that before.  Gish was 92 when he retired.  

Gish always said, “If you don’t have quality, you don’t have nothing.”

 

~ Dave Kitayama

KB Mother’s Day Greenhouse BBQ

The sales have been analyzed, costs have been studied, the market dissected, and we believe we had a good Mother’s Day.  Yeah!!  Our current obsession is greenhouse events.  

What better event than a company BBQ in the greenhouse!

Juana and Rich bought the meat and other goodies.  Rich cooked and Kiyoshi showed up for the pictures.  We borrowed the grill from Dick Piexoto who is a tenant and the organic produce King. 

Rich and Kiyoshi

Serving was Jimmy, Stuart, Carol, Maria, Linda and Karen.  It was delicious chicken and steak from La Comena.  We finally have figured out the correct amount of beans, rice, salad, salsa and tortillas.        

We finished with ice cream bars which was the reward from a sales challenge. 

Thanks everyone for the hard work this past holiday, Jimmy thought it was one of the most challenging…

RHK