Mandarin Hill Orchards - Penryn, CA
FARMERS: Tom Aguilar
Frank and Bernice Aguilar began their adventure in 1947 when they married and started a 50-acre farming operation in the small Placer County town of Penryn, California. At that time Placer County was known as the Fruit Basket of the Nation, so it made sense that initially the farm consisted of plum, pear and peach trees along with a few mandarin and other citrus trees that had been planted back in the 1880s by Welsh settlers. There have been many more adventures in the lives of the Aguilars as the decades past, and they have embraced them all with the spirit that only farmers have. Now in their nineties, Frank and Bernice still live at Mandarin Hill Orchards along with their son, Tom who now oversees the day-to-day.
The warm days and cool nights in our little foothills town of Penryn are perfect for growing citrus. We let our fruit stay on our trees until they are at their peak of ripeness, and pick them by hand to make sure each one is as sweet and delicious as possible.
We’ve been growing citrus this way for 70 years. Mandarin Hill Orchards is owned and operated by the Aguilar family, and we’re proud to be one of the oldest mandarin orchards in Placer County. We even have producing mandarin trees that date back to the 1880s. Really. Come by and we’ll show you. Bring the kids, we’ll show them, too.
We’re just 2 miles from I-80 at the Penryn exit, about 10 minutes from the Galleria. Our orchard is open daily from 8 – 5 and we have plenty of parking. Bring your lunch and enjoy a picnic in our orchards. We look forward to seeing you soon!