Our Story
Magoso Ibara
Magoso Ibara first immigrated to the United States in 1904. Prior to purchasing the first ranch in Reedley, CA, he lived in Hawaii and worked on a generator at a Sugar Cane Plant. He married Taka Takahashi and they had several children together.
Terashi Ibara
Magoso had several children. The eldest son Terashi would eventually take over the farm and run it for several years. During World War II, they were forced to abandon the farm and were placed into internment Camps. Terashi's son, Dexter, was born in camp. Dexter would become the next successor of the farm.
Dexter Ibara
Dexter had a tough childhood, with his mother passing away in the internment camps, and primarily being raised by his grandparents, who mainly spoke Japanese. Thus, Dexter was placed in ESL classes with other students from foreign backgrounds. Despite early challenges in school, he graduated from Fresno State University with a degree in engineering and worked as an automotive engineer for several years. His work took him to Japan, Mexico, and various sites in the US. He was a key contributor to the establishment of efficient automotive plants in these locations, drawing insights from Toyota’s plants in Japan. Dexter eventually retired from Ford and returned to California to help his father Terashi run the farm.
Current Day
To this day, Dexter has continued running the farm in his retirement. The farm has greatly changed over the years. Under Dexter's ownership, the original 40 acre grape ranch in Reedley was expanded to over 500 acres spread across ten different ranches, along with international export of fruit to Taiwan. However, operations have since slowed down and the farm has decreased in size. The farm now consists of 212 acres spread across four ranches, including the original grape ranch purchased by Magoso. Dexter has successfully run the farm by selling fruit commercially to large distributors and packing houses for the last several decades. However, recent shifts in the market have made these avenues less financially sustainable.
The Next Generation
Dexter's two nephews, Charles and Kenneth, are excited to learn more about farming, help take over the business, and restore its former glory. They hope to use their insights as young adults to find new revenue streams and markets for Ibara Farms' products. In particular, they are shifting their focus to farmer's markets and other direct-to-consumer channels, such as door-to-door delivery of fruit products.
