J. Marchini Farms founder Joe (Giuseppe) Marchini died Dec. 28, 2022, surrounded by family. He was 84.
Over the course of his career, Marchini established the California-based grower-shipper specializing in radicchio and Italian specialties.
Marchini’s life was filled with family, farming, faith and a lot of fun, and his legacy will live on through J. Marchini Farms and his family, the operation said in a statement announcing his death. Marchini is survived by his wife, Julie; his children, Lisa, Jeff and Fania; and his 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
“We are devastated but the light still shines as Joe left an impression on everyone that met him, we are so fortunate to hear people speak about Joe,” the Marchini family said in a news release.
Marchini’s farming career may have ended with radicchio, but it began with tomatoes. His parents, Florindo and Elisa Marchini, made the journey from Lucca, Italy, in the 1920s, settling in Le Grand, Calif. There, Florindo Marchini met Carlo Giampaoli and founded the Giampaoli-Marchini Co., a grower-shipper of the Live Oak Brand of tomatoes.
In the 1960s, Joe Marchini was offered his father’s shares of ownership in the Giampaoli-Marchini operation. He started farming on his own and expanded to include bell peppers, onions and almonds, according to the release.
Joe Marchini’s passion for the Italian culture and language allowed him to make connections with Italian growers, learning radicchio seed variety suggestions and growing techniques, according to the release. In the 1980s, he grew his first successful radicchio crop and drove radicchio loads to San Francisco himself to increase the market’s awareness. Because of this, Joe Marchini’s premium brand was known by the catchphrase “the original radicchio grower of the U.S.”
In the 1990s and early 2000s, the father and son duo concentrated on perfecting the radicchio operation to ensure a year-round supply to U.S. markets. Marketing came naturally to Joe Marchini, and he was adored by chefs along with local and international produce buyers for many decades, according to the release. As the radicchio operations grew, Joe Marchini watched as his son and grandchildren joined the company, working by his side.
In 2012, Joe Marchini was diagnosed with cancer. The odds were tough, but his resilience, faith and family gave him strength. “Joe Man,” as he was known by friends, will be remembered for his local community involvement, as an innovator and for his contributions in the agricultural industry, according to the release.
