Sakuma Bros. Farms and Market

Proudly farming in the Skagit Valley since 1935 Burlington, Washington USA About Us Mission and Values Our Legacy Our Products Blueberries Blackberries Strawberries Custom Packing Services Polybag Packing Custom Packing Services Careers Current Openings Seasonal Jobs Contact Us Employee Notice A History of Farming and Family. Sakuma Brothers Farms and Processing, based in northwest Washington, is a recognized leader in berry production, packing, and processing. The Sakuma family’s journey began in 1907, when Takeo Sakuma left Kyushu, Japan, for America, settling on Bainbridge Island, Washington. There, he established a farm and quickly earned a reputation for growing high-quality strawberries. In 1914, Takeo married Nobu Sakuma, and together they built a thriving farm and a growing family. The second generation—the Nisei—began with the birth of their eldest son, Atsusa, in 1916, followed by Akira, Takashi, Shinobu, Milton, Isaac, Satoru, Shun, and daughters Lillian and Lucy. These early years laid the foundation for what would become a multi-generational farming legacy. From Bainbridge to Burlington. In the 1930s, a Seattle processor recognized the fertile soil of Skagit Valley, near Burlington, Washington, as an ideal location for growing strawberries. Acting on this advice, Atsusa Sakuma moved to Burlington in 1937 after graduating from high school to establish the family's berry farming operations. He was soon joined by his younger brothers—Akira in 1938, Shinobu in 1940, and Isaac in 1941—marking the beginning of Sakuma Brothers Farm. During this time, the family farmed on Mc Corquedale Road and rented land from Chris Knutzen on the east side of Burlington Blvd., known as Old Highway 99. By 1941, the four eldest Sakuma brothers were farming in Burlington, while the rest of the family remained on Bainbridge Island. However, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, everything changed. The Sakuma family was forcibly removed and sent to internment camps. The family members on Bainbridge Island were among the first to be sent to Manzanar, California, on March 30, 1942. Just months later, in June 1942, the brothers in Burlington were relocated to Tule Lake, over 500 miles away, further dividing the family. Despite their family being interned and facing discrimination, three of the eight Sakuma sons served in the renowned 442nd Infantry Regiment in Europe, while three others served with the Military Intelligence Service (MIS). After the war, in 1945, the Sakuma family had lost their property and belongings on Bainbridge Island. They relocated permanently to Burlington, where their farm had been cared for by the Oscar Mapes family—an act of kindness the Sakumas have never forgotten. This painful chapter in American history found some closure in 1988, when President Ronald Reagan signed an act of Congress issuing a formal apology and a symbolic payment to families who had been interned during the war. By 1947, the family purchased their first Skagit Valley property on Mc Corquedale Road, later known as the “Home Place.” Interested to learn more about the incredible Sakuma-Mapes Family story? Expanding Horizons: Nursery and Farming Innovations Building on their success in strawberry farming, the Sakuma brothers expanded into the certified plant business in 1947, supplying strawberry plants to growers across the West Coast. By the 1950s, they diversified their crops, growing strawberries for processing at National Frozen Foods, along with raspberries, blackberries, and various vegetables, including peas, cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli, bush beans, and cabbage seed. Their nursery business flourished, leading to the establishment of Norcal Nursery, Inc. in Northern California in 1967. By the early 1970s, the Burlington farm had diversified even further, adding blueberries, additional vegetable crops (carrots, sweet corn, spinach seed), and sheep farming, as well as developing a tissue culture facility for plant propagation and gre