By Gerelyn Terzo, Global AgInvesting Media

A unique alignment between agriculture and community banking is taking shape in California’s Salinas Valley, widely known as America’s Salad Bowl. Taylor Fresh Foods, the family-owned parent of the Taylor Farms operating companies, has acquired a 16.3 percent ownership stake in independently owned Pacific Valley Bank, marking a distinctive partnership between a global fresh food producer and a regional bank in Salinas Valley, California. Both Pacific Valley Bank and Taylor Fresh Foods have expansion in their sights, viewing the partnership as a long-term strategic alignment grounded in shared regional ties and growth ambitions.

The minority investment brings together two long-standing Salinas Valley operators with deep ties to regional agriculture, land stewardship and local economies. By linking farm-level expertise with community banking capital, the transaction reflects an innovative approach to supporting agricultural businesses and rural growth while reinforcing Pacific Valley Bank’s role within one of the country’s most productive farming regions.

Bruce Taylor, CEO of Taylor Farms, stated, “Pacific Valley Bank has demonstrated a consistent commitment to its markets and customers. With deep family roots in the Salinas Valley, we believe it is important for Monterey County to have a locally owned and headquartered bank that supports the small and medium-sized businesses that drive the local economy. We are pleased to participate as a shareholder and support the bank’s continued focus on serving the region.” As part of the investment, Taylor also gains a seat on Pacific Valley’s board of directors.

Headquartered in Salinas, California, where Pacific Valley opened its maiden branch, Taylor Farms is a family-owned agricultural business with production operations spanning North America and Europe. The investment reflects a natural strategic fit with Pacific Valley Bank’s mission of supporting the regional economy, particularly small and mid-sized businesses, agricultural operators, nonprofit organizations and local individuals across California’s Monterey County and the broader Central Coast.

Taylor Fresh Foods joins a largely local shareholder base at Pacific Valley Bank, where the vast majority of shares remain in community hands. About 93 percent of the bank’s ownership is held by local investors, including roughly 40 percent by active directors, officers and other decision-makers. That structure has helped keep leadership closely connected to the region and focused on steady, long-term growth rather than fleeting gains.

“For more than two decades, Pacific Valley Bank has operated as a locally owned community bank focused on relationship-based banking and disciplined growth,” said Anker Fanoe, CEO of Pacific Valley Bank. “This investment supports our long-term strategy, reinforces our local ownership structure, and strengthens our capital base while preserving independent governance and local decision-making.”

Pacific Valley Bank was formed out of a desire to better serve the unique needs of the Salinas Valley’s farming communities. Local business leaders saw that existing lenders weren’t fully tuned in to the financial realities of agriculture and other regional businesses, so they banded together to form a community bank that better understood the local economy, quite literally from the ground up. The bank opened its doors in 2004, backed by strong local investor support, and has since grown into a full-service institution with branches across Monterey County while maintaining deep ties to the agricultural sector it was built to support.

Taylor Fresh Foods’ impact reporting points to a practical focus on how scale in food production intersects with farming, food access and resource use. As a major supplier of fresh, ready-to-eat produce, the company produces hundreds of millions of servings each week, growing approximately 25 percent of its own vegetables while partnering with hundreds of family-owned farms for the balance. Taylor Farms also works with food banks and local partners to direct fresh produce into communities facing food insecurity, reflecting an approach to sustainability that is closely tied to day-to-day farming realities.

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