Redwood City’s Sigona’s Farmers Market marks 50 years

From 1975-84, the brothers operated three roadside produce stands before the Highway 101 expansion meant they had to look for a more permanent location to expand their offerings. Now, the family runs two storefronts and an off-site location for office delivery, and the brothers have passed the baton onto the next generation. 

Cousins Robbie and Jimmy Sigona have taken over the family business with pride, and are celebrating its legacy and milestones reached all month long. 

Sigona’s Farmers Market flagship store still stands at 2345 Middlefield Road in Redwood City, and 40 years later it remains a community staple for those looking for a locally sourced grocery store where the owners are around and staff remembers your name. 

“While we’ve had to innovate and reposition ourselves to stay relevant, we remain dedicated to quality, service and friendliness, and we know our customers appreciate that,” Robbie Sigona said. 

Supporting local farmers has been an integral value of the Sigona family for generations, and underlies the success of the grocery store to this day, Jimmy Sigona, director of Sigona’s Fruit for Thought and Office Deliveries, said in a press release. 

“Providing an outlet for local foods and products benefits not only the customers but an entire ecosystem of local vendors, and adds vibrancy to the community,” Jimmy Sigona said. 

Over the last 50 years, from a shopping local trend to a pandemic putting farmworkers at risk, Sigona’s Farmers Market has gone through its fair share of ups and downs, Robbie Sigona, market director and lead produce buyer, said. 

“It’s not by accident that we’ve survived in this area,” Robbie Sigona said.

The market began with just produce, but eventually added the various departments — dairy, cheese, beer and wine, meat — in effort to build the small store into a one-stop shop. 

“There wasn’t always a Safeway in Sequoia Station or a Lucky up the road,” “There weren’t as many Latino and Asian independent markets. There was no Whole Foods.” 

Although the increase in competition has been challenging, it “keeps you on your toes” to stay ahead as much as you can, Robbie Sigona said. Making Sigona’s a destination is what has kept customers returning, he said. 

Robbie began working for the business when he was 19 years old in 1992, and there are customers he’s seen since he started. The loyalty of consistent customers is an indicator of the relationships the staff is able to build with those in the community, he said. 

“At any given time, the customer can come in and say ‘hi’ to owners, all employees, staff,” Robbie Sigona said. “Everyone working with us, vendors, we treat everyone like family, and they feel it. It makes them look forward to going shopping, it’s not just a chore.” 

While the staff’s hospitality is a rewarding facet of the business, the quality product is the main attraction. 

“Really the main reason why customers come to us is the quality and uniqueness of the produce,” Robbie Sigona said. “We had to make sure we kept that going when I took over.” 

The Sigona family are experts at what they do, Christine Thomspon, communication consultant for the business, said. Stone fruit growers are bringing in peaches the day they’re picked, artichokes straight from the fields, and strawberries that are still warm and need cooling; the Sigona family makes sure to bring in a selection you can’t get elsewhere, she said. 

“Customers come in and they pick up a cantaloupe, and the owner or someone will come over and say ‘I can help you pick out the best cantaloupe you’ve ever had,’” Thompson said. “Those skills and knowledge are not something everyone has.” 

For Robbie and Jimmy, there is a sense of produce and gratitude to have the opportunity to take over the business. 

“We’re proud to have our name on the building, we know what it means to us and our family, and what it means to the community,” Robbie Sigona said. 

To celebrate the longevity of the business, customers will have access to Sigona’s branded freebies, including its signature jams, pasta sauce and olive oil. Customers and the community are invited to a cake cutting and meet-and-greet the founding brothers at each location April 26. 

The celebration at the Redwood City location is slated from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and then from 2:30-4 p.m. at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto.