DeMartini Orchard: A Small Family Business
That Survived COVID
Red, green and golden apples on the far left, fresh bananas just to the right of them, all the crisp onion types you can imagine just to the right of those, and next to that is a forest of green. What crazy array of edible plants are here? There are perfect potatoes, plump watermelons, and amazingly delicious yet expensive apricots that many customers enjoy. This wonderful place called DeMartini Orchard of Los Altos, full of the freshest fruits and most wonderful produce where the employees and customers are a close community, might not have existed after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown of 2020–2021.
Early Years
DeMartini Orchard started in 1932 as a small fruit stand operating out of a garage. As time went on, ownership changed, and DeMartini was purchased by the Zeitmens in 1955 and then by two brothers, Craig and Tony Kozy, in 1984. During its early years, DeMartini was such a small local business that it once delivered produce in their backpacks to customers. Later on, around 1998, some FDA Health and Safety regulations related to food safety hazards common to the growing, harvesting, packing and transport of fruits and vegetables changed how they purchased, handled and managed their products. For example, according to Craig, the food inspectors couldn’t go through everybody’s backyard garden and give it the ok, so they eventually switched to certifed growers only.
DeMartini is the oldest store in Los Altos, being open for 91 years. Craig’s son, James Kozy was born in 1988 in the Los Altos area. He grew up hanging out at the store for as long as he could remember and he lived closeby. Since he was the son of the owner of DeMartini, James was there often and would help out and greet customers. He was involved in helping out early on, cutting carrot tops and celery tops. Now, he carries on the family tradition, bringing his two sons to the store, just like his father did when he was a kid.
James became the DeMartini General Manager in 2013. He wanted to become the manager because his father is the owner, and he wanted to keep the business in the family. When James started working there, he brought new ideas to the table. The times were changing and DeMartini needed to adapt to keep up with the times. James started doing online orders and deliveries, and brought in a wine program.
COVID Lockdown
When the pandemic started, the U.S. government shut down all services besides those that they called essential businesses. This made it really hard for small businesses to continue,
Delicious Persian Cucumbers Danny, a store manager and a 20 year employeeGreat Mangos
and many went out of business. Since DeMartini is a grocery store, they were labeled as an essential business during the COVID lockdown. They were allowed to stay open, but through online orders only. They had to work a lot harder and consequently had longer nights to deal with this. The reason that DeMartini survived COVID is, “A lot of hard work and very long nights…luckily grocery stores did very well during COVID because everybody had to eat. But we had to adapt,” stated James Kozy. Adapting to the new trend of online food purchasing allowed this small business to continue selling its products. According to National Library of Medicine, “The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in tremendous changes in the overall economy and society. In the food service industry, the ways people order has shifted mostly to non-human contact or untact methods, such as online orders and drive-through orders.”
As time went on, the restrictions started to lift. Slowly, DeMartini started allowing four customers in the store at a time. They slowly increased the number of customers allowed in, and soon were able to let as many people in as they normally did beforehand. Initially, since the customers couldn’t stay in the store very long and really talk with the cashiers and didn’t feel comfortable talking to the other customers, the community wasn’t nearly as strong as it had once been in a sense. Once the fear of COVID started dying down, the customers could stay and shop longer, allowing them to see each other more and visit the cashiers more freely again, and that family sense started coming back to DeMartini’s. DeMartini’s COVID-related hardships were also connected to the global supply chain crisis affecting businesses worldwide. They struggled with getting their food and produce where it needed to go while keeping the people who handle the food safe. “Supply chain issues also remain a constant obstacle…Early in the pandemic, food supply chains were hit hard as producers and distributors attempted to navigate rapidly changing demands while keeping employees safe,” according to
“Grocery stores did very well during COVID because everybody had to eat. But we had to adapt.”
-James KozyLimes, Lemons, and Avacodos under the Honey
What’s the best part of owning DeMartini?
Carnegie-Knight News21 based at ASU. There was always some product that was missing from DeMartini’s usual inventory, whether it was the marvelous mangos, or the amazing mushrooms, the supply couldn’t always meet the demand.
DeMartini is one of the small businesses that survived COVID. It’s even been able to grow despite the COVID lockdown, being able to strengthen the bonds of both employees and customers, and being able to expand the business to people farther away, thanks in part to the new programs that James has put in place. One of the best parts of DeMartini’s is the community feel. I started working there as a cashier in October 2021. We were still wearing masks, so it was hard to smile at customers or see their faces. It was really nice when we could take off those masks. That sense of community is still strong. Some of the employees have been there more than 20 years, like Danny, who is the one who encouraged me to apply there. Everyone made me feel welcome; it’s like being part of the family. Now, two of my friends are working with us, Brandon and Ved.
That Family Sense Continues
DeMartini Orchard is still a rich part of Los Altos history, and a great place to go shopping, for families and friends alike as the years continue, and James might repeat the generational cycle that his father started with him.
DeMartini Orchard is the oldest store in Los Altos, even having its own day in Los Altos on June 26, that is called DeMartini Day. It’s been such a popular place in Los Altos for so long that there is such a strong community there, and it’s only getting stronger as the years go on.
“I eat well, really, you know?”
-Craig KozyElva, longtime employee who trained me James and one of his kids Cover photo; James and Craig Kozy. Author Michael Kurgas
Michael Kurgas is a student at Freestyle Academy with a focus in Animation. He is also a Junior at Los Altos High School. In his free time, Michael enjoys sailing, drawing, animating things, listening to music, and hanging out with friends and family. He works as a cashier at DeMartini Orchard, and he also works at Shoreline Lake in the summer time, teaching beginning windsur ng and sailing to kids. Michael is really enjoying his Freestyle experience, and he likes the relaxation of sailing on smooth waters.
