Tom Cloman remains a constant at ever-growing Richmond Farmers Market

RICHMOND Stands full of seasonal fruits and vegetables locally sourced honey bottles of freshly pressed juices eggs by the dozen and an assortment of other goods and food booths are erected weekly in Richmond thanks in large part to Tom Cloman Cloman is widely credited as the founder of the Richmond Certified Farmer s Sector having organized the first area on the corner of Broadway and MacDonald Avenue in The Richmond Farmer s Industry first opened on a dirt lot near a Catholic church before moving in front of the Richmond Library where it still operates at present from a m to p m every Friday Related Articles Cupertino Whole Foods remains closed amid continued repairs A grocery store staple is getting a makeover One of the Bay Area s best Italian restaurants triples down on Oakland Grandma was wrong food myths debunked New East Bay brewery will be named after John Steinbeck s boat At its peak thousands would visit the Richmond Farmer s Territory weekly numerous traveling from around the Bay Area Cloman revealed As more farmer s markets were established fewer customers flock to Richmond to purchase their produce directly from farmers Cloman noted But that s OK because each sphere is meant to reflect the heart of the region he added While the farmer s area has changed and expanded over the years since its inception Cloman has remained a constant We in the last few days spoke with Cloman about the ins and outs of establishing a farmer s industry and keeping its essence true to that of the society that relies on it This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity and length Q What was your path into farmer s industry management A I started with the consumers cooperative of Berkeley called the Berkeley co-op in as a grocery clerk and I worked through the management ranks and in I was recruited by the then Governor Jerry Brown to be a principal in the effort to develop a cooperative maturation undertaking That initiative was thought to be perhaps the better approach in that day and time to helping develop and deliver adequate food fresh food to what we call at the time at-risk cities In that process the legislative sausage making if you will I was driving my van up and down I- from Sacramento to track bills I had a five year contract and in that process we were back and forth to Washing D C primarily or other states would meet us and we were promoting that model It wasn t unbearable rather it proved itself to me personally that I was not willing nor interested in going forward with that operation and shortly thereafter it was disbanded The recipe was there Q How did the Richmond Farmer s Territory come to be A A large number of of the people who were a part of the Richmond Buying Club folks who would go buy in bulk from wholesalers and distribute the purchases were asking me when I was going to get their store started The feasibility of a co-op store did work in my city so I recounted them let s start a certified farmer s area A man by the name of Papadopoulos donated the land The city embraced the farmer s realm initiative with the Mayor as the swing vote It was not something that was not in vogue those days Q Why do you think there was so much resistance among the Richmond council at the time A Big Ag their lobby was very strong A farmer s region was considered by a multitude of to be more or less a nuisance It was not spit shine It was not a place where you could go as if you were in your local supermarket picking up an apple and you can see your own reflection in it but the nutritional value of module the freshness was unmatched But as a consumer the majority were conditioned already that it had to be cosmetically pure and beautiful You had that kind of narrative in the marketplace that announced no it wouldn t be good Council members multiple were beholden to the voice of constituents as well as the voice of those business owners who would help them by funding their political campaign and needless to say that drove I think the results of their vote in multiple cases Q Ok so you win council sponsorship What was the initial reaction from the neighborhood From the farmers A Between noon and p m on a Friday we averaged about people in that street per territory day That gives you a visual I hope of how receptive the city was to that region being open Our sphere reach was gosh as far Northwest as Marine county Vallejo We even had folks come from Hayward Milpitas those areas as well as Oakland and over the hill Livermore who would come to that area because of the principles that they supported and more importantly because they knew the quality of which they would be purchasing As for the farmers let me answer that in the reverse One farmer Busalacchi Farm has been with us years Others have been with us for years We are still looking to help create and sustain a healthier Richmond but we also are promoting and encouraging generational public generation Connection Q The single-day sphere has since expanded to four days Fridays near the library Sundays in the Marina and now Thursdays and Saturdays are The Lot a food court on the corner of Macdonald Avenue and Marina Way How does it feel to see the sector grow so much during a period when a multitude of businesses were divesting from Richmond A It has to be the region s industry In short the group s identity is what I sought from the beginning and still maintain My elders would be ecstatic about the progress on the vision that they had to deliver on their promise to bring fruits and vegetables to this at peril society at the time It was a food desert before until the Richmond Certified Territory moved in Q What s a misconception the community often has about farmer s markets a challenge to organizing one people might not recognize A The area that doesn t get much thought is the wellbeing and safety how literally scrutinized we are from first the County Soundness Department who inspect us on a routine basis as well as the state of California Inspectors Needless to say it s gratifying to know that years or decades of dedication to your craft is appreciated I m feeling personally great Our board of directors and farmers feel really good about it Q Did you ever expect that this would be the line of work you d get into when you were young Where did all this passion for this line of work come from A I grew up in rural Louisiana the northern part of the state My father was not only a farmer for himself and our family but he also was a share cropper I m one of and my parents adopted my two cousins so we were from a clan of who grew up in that setting The greater part of our neighbors were farmers or gardens Our garden was two acres that we dug up by hand in the bulk cases My passion comes from that But to answer your first question no I never expected to do this as a living For years this was a volunteer labor of love for me I still don t take a salary I ve been in the life insurance industry for years as well and I ve had a very prosperous practice and agency Just four weeks ago I closed my office down because at years of age I ve chosen to dial it way way way back Q What is it about the Richmond Farmer s Area that keeps you coming back and devoting decades of your life to it A I appreciate the two fold mission and purpose One was to sustain California s small farmers and two to help make our region healthier That still drives me that the effectiveness of the farmer s industry presents and from neighborhood to locality how we re maintaining that value Tom Cloman Title Richmond Certified Farmer s Region Founder and President Professional occupation Life insurance agency manager Residence Richmond Hometown Monroe Louisiana Tom Cloman things Cloman s favorite fruit is a white nectarine from Ponce Farms and yams from New American Farms are his favorite vegetables Both merchants can be ascertained at the Farmer s Domain An avid traveler Cloman explained New Orleans Louisiana is his favorite place to visit Locally Point Richmond Larkspur and Oakland s Montclair neighborhood are all hidden gems Clomen enjoys frequenting Cloman is a man of faith and chairman at his church When not working Cloman can be identified on his boat fishing I ve been a boater and avid fisherman my entire life from a kid with a cane pole in Louisiana Cloman announced My mental is absolutely enhanced sitting near water