This week in Santa Cruz County business: Driscoll’s climate change-resistant berries, proposed settlement in Plantronics suit, housing forum takeaways

Quick Take

Jessica M. Pasko gets a look at what Driscoll's is working on from new CEO Soren Bjorn to lead this week's local business roundup. She also has an update on a class action brought by investors in former Santa Cruz company Plantronics and other news, notes and numbers.

Each week, we’re taking a closer look at the movers and shakers, the growth of industries, and what’s really driving the Santa Cruz County economy. I’ll be spotlighting some of the biggest areas for opportunity, updates on local development and all things underpinning the regional business scene, each Wednesday.

The column will be taking a short break while I head across the pond to finally celebrate my honeymoon; look for its return on Aug. 28.

Got ideas? Send them my way to news@lookoutlocal.com with “Business News” in the subject line.

For Driscoll’s new CEO, creating a better, more climate change-resistant berry is top of mind

As the CEO of the world’s largest berry company, climate change is never far from Soren Bjorn’s mind. Bjorn, who took the top job in January, has made building a better berry a key part of his platform. With people, processes and technology as his North Star, he’s leading the company in adopting new technology to create more climate-resilient varieties and berries that last longer, are easier to pick and, of course, taste the best.

From massive flooding driven by climate change, to new pests and diseases, to wildfires and rising temperatures, the world’s farmers are feeling the heat – sometimes literally. While Driscoll’s doesn’t grow its own berries for sale, it works with licensed growers around the world that are facing changing conditions that impact the berries they grow for the company. Driscoll’s has long maintained an extensive research and development component, but today, many of those efforts aren’t focused on just taste and shelf life, they’re also focused on things like creating berry varieties that can withstand more swings in temperature or are more efficient in terms of water usage.

Driscoll’s CEO Soren Bjorn in the fields in Watsonville. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Much of the research and development is done at the company’s Cassin Ranch in Watsonville, where the company planted its first commercial field of its proprietary strawberries in the early 1900s. Creating new and improved versions of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries is a constant evolution, and in recent years, the company has started implementing cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning to aid these efforts. Driscoll’s was the first agribusiness to integrate former Alphabet subsidiary Mineral’s AI technologies, and together, the two companies have developed AI tools for yield forecasting, quality inspections and reducing food waste, among other functions. When Alphabet shut down Mineral earlier this year, it licensed its farming technology to Driscoll’s, which will now manage it directly. Currently, the company has about 100 different forecasting models for its berries, enabling them to better predict yields for different regions and seasons, which also helps set prices.

“With the impact of climate change, it’s all about how we adapt;” said Bjorn. “Last year, for instance, we saw this with El Niño; while our primary source of blueberry supply, which is in Peru, didn’t get wiped out, it was cut by more than half.”

When that happens, not only are supplies limited, but prices go up for consumers. Situations like that really underscore the need to create more resiliency in the supply, said Bjorn.

Read my full story here.

ICYMI: Free land problems, local control and the Clocktower’s fate – five takeaways from Lookout’s housing forum

Last week, Lookout hosted a sold-out forum to discuss one of the most volatile topics locally – housing. Lookout’s Christopher Neely moderated two discussions: a panel composed of state Sen. Scott Wiener, Santa Cruz County Supervisor Manu Koenig and Santa Cruz City Councilmember Sandy Brown, and a one-on-one with Sibley Simon, one of the partners at local developer Workbench. Check out his takeaways here.

Ch-ch-changes: Openings, closings and other developments

Proposed settlement reached in Plantronics class-action suit: Lawyers for Plantronics, a former Santa Cruz company, have reached a tentative agreement to pay $29.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by investors. The settlement, reached in a California federal court, involves alleged violations of federal securities law. The company was accused of misleading investors about the amount of sales the company was achieving. The settlement will go before a federal judge in September for approval and final decisions. Plantronics was founded in 1961 in Santa Cruz and acquired Polycom in 2019 to become Poly; the joint company was acquired by Hewlett Packard Enterprise in August 2022. Joby Aviation purchased the former Plantronics headquarters in the Harvey West section of Santa Cruz in November 2022.
La Selva Beach company inks new partnership to improve maritime surveillance: A new partnership between Parallel Flight Technologies and Southern California-based Areté is aimed at improving the U.S. Navy’s capability to monitor and survey coastal environments. Parallel Flight’s Firefly drones combine heavy lifting and long duration, for use in firefighting, health care and more. Under this partnership, the Firefly technology will be combined with Areté’s specialized lidar-based sensors. (Lidar is a method of determining ranges by targeting an object or surface with a laser, then measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver.)
Trio of executives retiring from insurance broker’s Santa Cruz operations: Three longtime employees of Acrisure’s local office are retiring this summer after a combined 118 years of service. Peter Neuwald, Tom O’Rourke and Tricia Barrett are stepping down and starting Sept. 1, Dave Loustalot, principal broker, will lead Acrisure’s Santa Cruz office. Michigan-based Acrisure offers insurance and other services for businesses and employs over 17,000 people in 21 countries.
Climatize raises $1.75 million in startup funding: Climatize, which helps support renewable energy projects through crowdfunding, has raised $1.75 million in new funding. The Santa Cruz-based company announced this week it’s gotten what’s called a pre-seed round, which is the earliest form of funding for startups. Primary investors include Myriad Venture Partners along with Climate Capital, Techstars, Responsibly Ventures and Temerity Capital Partners. The funding will help Climatize continue to develop its platform and grow the company.

Got hires, promotions, or departures to report? Send them to news@lookoutlocal.com with the subject line “Career changes.”

Looking at the numbers

$1,625 a month: That’s the rent for the cafe space at the Tannery Arts Center campus. Artspace, which manages the property, and the City of Santa Cruz are seeking a new tenant for the 780-square-foot space, which includes an outdoor patio. Lease term length will be determined based on experience and proposal. Details here.

Save the date

Wednesday, Aug. 7: The Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce will host a women’s networking mixer from 5 to 7 p.m. outside the Dientes and Santa Cruz Community Health clinics on Capitola Road. Details here.
Thursday, Aug. 8: The Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting for Tacos al Fuego from 5 to 7 p.m. to mark the business’ one-year anniversary at 45 Aviation Way in Watsonville.
Wednesday, Aug. 28: The Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce will host a luncheon with Rep. Jimmy Panetta at Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Register here to attend.
Saturday, Sept. 28: The El Pajaro Community Development Corporation and the Regional Women’s Business Center will hold its Latina Entrepreneurship Leadership Conference from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Watsonville Civic Plaza. Tickets and registration here.
Saturday, Oct. 5: Santa Cruz Community Health will mark its 50th anniversary with a fundraising gala at the Hotel Paradox in Santa Cruz, from 6 to 10 p.m. The event will feature speakers, a sit-down dinner and a no-host bar. Tickets start at $150. For details and to purchase tickets, go here.