Pismo Oceano Vegetable Exchange: An Enduring Mark of Japanese Identity

California’s Central Coast, home to vast acres of land, endless rolling hills, and high concentrations of rich soil, set the stage for strong Japanese agricultural influence in the early 20th century. In the beginning of the 1900’s, Japanese immigration figures were at an extreme in order to meet the cheap labor demands of a developing agricultural industry (Suzuki 127). As this demographic of workers began to advance and purchase property in California, a new wave of landowners and farmers emerged. Japanese agriculture thrived in the farm countries of Arroyo Grande, Avila Beach, and Pismo Beach. All three locations were well suited for growing bush peas and home to a developing railroad network (“Our History”). Families in the area were gathered under a common agricultural identity, choosing to form relationships and friendships in order to develop their community (see images 1 and 2). As a network of fairly small farming families, it was important and essential for separate agriculturalists to begin to group together and share resources to stay competitive with big, growing industries. …show more content…
Three years later, the Arroyo Grande Pea Growers Association was formed. When these two groups combined in 1928, the Pismo Oceano Vegetable Exchange (POVE) was created (“Our History” and “Haruo”). In its earliest years, approximately 40 to 46 families were involved in POVE, helping to contribute large amounts of fresh crops from their farms to be distributed by rail throughout the country (Sutton, Personal Interview). A common cooling and distribution center was formed for the purpose of collecting crops and preparing them to be shipped to distributors, a helpful resource that was shared among the small POVE