A Marfa, Texas, resident and U.S.-Mexico dual citizen is singing the praises of the work being done at the Marfa location of Village Farms ... quite literally.
Rámon Vega Navarro recently launched his first music video that pays tribute to Village Farms’ employees in Marfa with his song “Doble Nacionalidad.” Translated in English, that means “Double Nationality.”
Doble Nacionalidad from Marfa Live Arts on Vimeo.
Vega Navarro’s song lyrics and video imagery tell the story of a group of Village Farms employees who travel to the company’s greenhouses each day in Marfa, Texas, according to a news release.
The greenhouses are in the far west region of the state, close to the Mexican border, and just across the border is the town of Ojinaga, Mexico, where these employees have their homes, the release said.
The project was a collaboration with Marfa Live Arts and Tina Rivera, a film director, the release said. Chosen by a jury of playwrights, Vega Navarro’s music video claimed second place in the Marfa Live Art 2021 Short Playwriting Contest.
The song and video pay tribute to Village Farms employees. “This is a huge honor for the company,” Derin Gemmel, vice president of human resources administration and compliance for the company’s Texas-based operations, said in the release.
Gemmel also noted it was a successful collaboration for the company with the artist, the film director and Marfa Live Arts. The entire project was also supported by the company, Gemmel said in the release.
“For almost three decades, Village Farms has had a presence here in West Texas,” Michael DeGiglio, president, CEO and founder of Village Farms, said in the release. “We are one of the largest employers among the three adjacent counties, and the biggest taxpayer within two of the countries where the greenhouses operate. A sizable portion of our facilities’ dedicated employees travel the distance each day from Ojinaga, over the border in Mexico where they make their homes and raise their families. It is touching to hear the sentiments expressed in this song and the imagery illustrating the day-to-day commitment of these men and woman to their jobs. Because of our employees’ dedication, we can successfully bring the highest quality Texas-grown fruits and vegetables to market.”
Sixty-million pounds of tomatoes are grown, harvested, packed, sold and distributed annually from the Village Farms Texas facilities located in Marfa, Fort Davis and Monahans, as well as from a distribution center in Fort Worth, the release said.
For more information on Village Farms and the music video, visit www.villagefarmsfresh.com.
