Cynthia Sandberg

Cynthia Sandberg, owner and farmer, uses biodynamic and organic techniques to grow over 300 different cultivars of fruit, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers for Manresa restaurant. Beginning her work life as a trial attorney, Cynthia transitioned to farming after falling in love with gardening in her backyard on a bit more than one acre in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  Founding Love Apple in 2000, Cynthia started as a tomato plant grower and had a small tomato fruit stand on her Ben Lomond property. In 2010, she purchased 22 acres on the former site of the Smothers Brothers Winery on Vine Hill Road in Santa Cruz and re-established her farm on the terraced hillside.

Achieving Demeter certification as a biodynamic farm in 2012 was a proud milestone for Love Apple. Cynthia has spoken at numerous gardening and farming conferences and garden clubs, including the Keynote speaker for Monterey Master Gardener’s BootCamp, Sunset Celebration Weekend, San Francisco Flower & Garden Show, Eco-Farm, MAD Symposium in Copenhagen and Nordic Barista Cup in Oslo, Norway.  Cynthia is a sought-after garden speaker on topics such as Mastering the Art of the Tomato, Introduction to Biodynamic Gardening, Farmer/Chef Relationships, and How to Make a Living from your Backyard Garden. Cynthia can be contacted by emailing her at loveapplefarms@gmail.com.