By Jane Valencia
Vashon was once known for its strawberry farms, and our Strawberry Festival was named in celebration of these berries. But, as has been the case for several decades, strawberries – much less Island-grown – are a rare and precious occurrence. Off-Island attendees of the Festival often find themselves bewildered: “Where are the strawberries?” and locals may propel themselves on a grim scavenger hunt to find at least one of these coveted gems somewhere – anywhere – in the festival borders. Perhaps in a pancake, donut, or as a garnish on a lunch plate.
This year, however, we had a new booth in town, Mr. Twisdale’s Strawberry Soda. Under a strawberry-shaped red tent, young entrepreneur Jordi Marquez-Twisdale sold cold, refreshing sodas made with his own Island-grown strawberries. And business, as one might predict, was fast and furious!
Age 23, Jordi has lived most of his life on Vashon. Since childhood, he’s dreamed of having a big field just for strawberries in his backyard.
“It wasn’t even a business idea of making money, it was just ‘one day I’ll have a strawberry field,’ and that comes primarily from the Beatles song ‘Strawberry Fields Forever.’ And then knowing the history of the strawberries on Vashon and having a Strawberry Festival – it’s always been something I’ve thought about.”
Ten years ago, he was involved in a homeschooling project called “Teens in the Field.” Started as a class on how to own and run a business, “Teens in the Field” made and sold strawberry sodas for two-and-a-half years, selling at the Strawberry Festival, the Vashon Farmers Market, and also on the side of the road.
Fast-forward to young adulthood, where Jordi has been an employee at Pike Place Market for the past three years.
Jordi shares, “Seeing all the business owners making ten times as much as me, I was like, I’ve got to find a way to do that. What I saw at the Market is that the best-selling thing is cold drinks. Because I’ve been selling cold slushies, I already know there’s a lot of people who want that. Coming up with my own drink would be the easiest thing to do.”
Strawberry sodas sprang to mind, an obvious choice. And, a special program at Pike Place for sellers who owned their own farms meant that Jordi could pay a flat fee each day without also having to give a commission or percentage of his sales.
So, for the best deal, Jordi would grow his own strawberries.
“I was like, I can bring this to fruition and do this myself right now. I know how to build a garden. I know how to sell things really well at the market. I can make the juice that we used to make, and then sell it.”
Jordi had also been wanting to pursue a hobby that would focus his time and energy, and that could reward him with some income: “And so, that’s what this is, is a big hobby of growing strawberries for fun, and turning it into a business at the market.”
Several Islanders were key in helping him get going.
“Joe Yarkin has been a prominent strawberry farmer and farmer of other things for 20 years, and I went to a preschool that his wife ran way long ago. So I would spend time with him around there. I’ve always thought of Joe Yarkin as an ideal farmer. Being able to go to him and have him give me advice on the variety and how to plant them, how to water them, all that was amazing. It was all the information I needed. And I was able to lay it down.
“Herb Beck helped me figure out the perfect time to till the field, because I ran into a bunch of weather issues. In April, we got in the first three days of sunlight in a row, and it was perfect. So we tilled it all really well. The ground here is the old ground from strawberries long ago, and it’s been 50 years of just regeneratively sitting. So the ground’s immaculate.”
The land is a former strawberry farm, owned and operated by a Vashon Japanese-American family prior to and after World War II.
Jordi’s mom, March Twisdale, has provided a variety of help, and Shelley Headley has given him business advice. His boss from Family Orchards was also a great support.
Jordi tends his garden with organic practices – no sprays or pesticides. Out on the land, the plants are vigorous and huge, and bear enormous red strawberries. He hands one to me and it’s absolutely delicious. “They’re better than organic,” he says. “This is as good as a strawberry can be.” I agree.
And so, Mr. Twisdale’s Strawberry Soda opened at this year’s Festival to great reception.
“A lot of people walking by said, ‘I’m really surprised that there’s not any strawberry booths. You’re the first person we’ve seen that has strawberry-based whatever things.’ A lot of people said they were really happy about that. And they also said the soda tasted really good. Ten out of ten said it was fresh, not too sweet, and you could really taste the strawberries.”
What’s next for Mr. Twisdale’s Strawberry Soda? On Wednesdays, maybe in August, but most likely in September, Jordi hopes to sell at a special market at Pike Place called Market on Pike. Next year, he plans to be at Pike Place three days a week, every week for three months at least, which – next to selling at the Strawberry Festival – is his foremost goal. His booth will be outside on the cobblestone at Pike. Just look for the bright strawberry tent.
“I have a lot of drive to make this work. I want to grow the best strawberries I can. It wasn’t the original idea, but now that I’ve done it, I realize it’s a really great idea, like a slogan. My whole thing is bringing strawberries back to Vashon.”
We wish Jordi and Mr. Twisdale’s Strawberry Soda plenty of success!
