Laying the Foundation
In 1992, Parwinder Samran and his father embarked on a new venture together, laying the foundation for what would later become Hilltop Ranch. Over the years, the Samran family diversified into various crops, but found their true calling in growing almonds and pistachios.
Through continued growth and investment, Samran and Sons Farming has grown tremendously, with Raj and Taj joining their father, Parwinder. And today, Hilltop Ranch is one of the largest privately-owned almond processors, handling nearly 50 million pounds annually and shipping to buyers in over 70 countries.
Farming for the Next Generation
Sustainability and growing the business for future generations drives the Samran family.
“In California, there’s a finite amount of acres here, so you have to take care of those,” said Les Crutcher, Chief Credit Officer at Yosemite Farm Credit. “They’ve developed things like solar, water, infrastructure and cultural practices that will help them be in farming for generations.”
With water scarcity in California, Samran and Sons Farming tackled the challenge head-on by building their own canal system, which currently serves nearly 75 percent of the property.
“We want to see those crops prosper and stay in the ground for a long time without having the regulations forcing us to tear them out,” Taj Samaran said. “And we only could have done that with the help and guidance of Farm Credit.”
An Agriculture Lender
As a farmer-owned cooperative, the Samran family has trusted Yosemite Farm Credit for its lending needs for decades, and the family appreciates that Farm Credit has a personal interest in their operation’s growth and success.
“Buying Hilltop Ranch would’ve been a lot more difficult without Farm Credit behind us,” Raj said.
The Samrans value working with a lender who understands the cyclical nature of agriculture and the specific challenges of tree crops, which require a significant investment and time before yielding a crop.
“With the help of Farm Credit, we were able to strategize when to replant, redevelop and when to keep our costs down and stay lean,” Taj said. “It’s been a huge help.”
“The beauty of Farm Credit is we’re there to help them through those cycles and to make sure they have long living operations,” said Les.
