Bernier Farms is a small, certified organic, family-run farm in Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys of Sonoma County.

Established in 1976 when Paul and Yael purchased a small parcel of land in Dry Creek Valley, Bernier Farms has since grown and expanded through the decades. For many years, Yael farmed vegetables and fruit – and famously, garlic – at local farmers’ markets. In fact, Paul and Yael were some of the founding members of the Healdsburg Certified Farmers’ Market in 1978. In the early 2000s, as restaurants became interested in more farm-to-table menus, Bernier Farms built strong relationships with restaurants like Santi in Geyserville and Scopa in Healdsburg. 

In 2007, after earning a degree in agriculture from Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, trying out various lines of work in California, and traveling through South and Central America, Paul and Yael’s son, Zureal, came back to Geyserville to join the family farm. In 2023, Zureal took over the farming operation.

Bernier Farms continues to cultivate good food and strong relationships with the community. Growing annual cover crops and applying compost produced on site from winery by product keeps the soils healthy and productive on their farming sites. In addition to a variety of year-round organic vegetable crops and dry-farmed field blends of wine grapes, Bernier Farms specializes in fresh and sun-dried tree fruit and varietal garlic. They maintain a diverse collection of pomegranate trees that produce from late September through December, figs of all colors and flavors, and French and Italian prune plums for drying by the traditional method: on old redwood trays under the warm August and September sun.    

On the home farm, Yael and Zureal host and lead a small community farm with about 15 families, meeting every Sunday throughout the year to work together and share the bounty. 

Photos: Paige Green Photography