How 30-year-old strawberry stand with ‘perfect’ fruit became a SLO County favorite
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Okui family has grown strawberries in SLO County in 1948.
- Fruit stand opened in Grover Beach due to local demand.
- Albion variety yields sweet, fragile berries ideal for buying fresh
On a warm, blue-skied May day, a sweet smell rises over suburban cul-de-sacs in Grover Beach.
The soft, fruity scent emanates from an agricultural patchwork of strawberry fields brimming with plump, ruby red berries.
The fruit sold by Okui Strawberry and Fruit Stand is coveted in San Luis Obispo County, with customers traveling from as far away as Fresno, Bakersfield and Los Angeles to collect strawberries they claim can’t be found elsewhere.
The growers and owners of the luscious plot of land are the Okuis — a Japanese-American family with roots in the area dating back to 1930. For nearly eight decades, they have planted, picked and sold the fruit that many say are the best strawberries along the Central Coast.
“It’s evolved into a business where we carry strawberries, we grow our own tomatoes, we have broccoli, and we grow our own onions,” co-owner Charles Okui said. “But our marquee product that we grow is strawberries.”
In a recent Tribune poll, nearly 200 readers wrote in to gush about the flavor of the fruit and the kindness of the staff at the Okuis’ iconic fruit stand at 1234 Highland Way in Grover Beach. Several shared stories of their first summer jobs working at the stand and cherished childhood memories of flats of summer fruit.
“I’ll go to the ends of the earth for Okui’s,” Tribune reader Lisa Rivers wrote in a poll response.
This year, the beloved strawberry stand turns 30 years old, Okui said. And it’s busier than ever.
How three generations of farmers cultivated a ’perfect berry’
Okui’s maternal grandparents, Charlie and Taki Sakamoto, migrated from Japan to California, arriving in Pismo Beach in 1930.
The couple opened a small grocery store in the area they ran for 12 years before they were involuntarily held at Poston Relocation Center, an internment camp in Arizona from 1942 until the end of World War II, according to Okui.
When the Sakamotos returned to San Luis Obispo County, they had lost their business and belongings.
Charlie Sakamoto then pivoted professions, purchasing four acres of land in Grover Beach where he planted his first batch of strawberries in 1948, Okui told The Tribune.
Okui’s father, Henry Okui, married into the family business, eventually expanding the venture to comprise 50 acres of commercial strawberries in Grover Beach, Charles Okui said.
Charles Okui and his sister, Joan Okui, described an idyllic childhood growing up on a farmhouse beside the strawberry fields.
There were go-cart races and joy rides on mini-bikes through the rows of produce. Sometimes, they would attempt to help their parents pick the berries. But more often than not, the labor devolved into the siblings chucking the fruit at each other in a game called “strawberry fights.”
“As a kid, it was the best thing ever,” Charles Okui said.
Okui graduated from Cal Poly in 1989 without a clear career path. He considered going into finance and moving away from SLO County, but he was pulled back into the family business.
About 36 years later, Charles Okui and his sister run the farm together, she said. Charles manages production and Joan manages the money.
Together, the two have sustained a successful strawberry business that is nearly 80 years in the making.
Now, the Okuis grow strawberries on 30 acres in Grover Beach and vegetables on 150 acres in Santa Maria.
How a local farm stand became a staple for strawberries
Okui strawberries were only sold commercially for several decades.
They were planted, harvested, loaded into trucks and placed on grocery store shelves across California.
Okui said it became a nuisance when neighbors frequently knocked on the family’s farmhouse door, asking for boxes of berries.
That’s when he had the idea to start the fruit stand, he recalled.
In 1995, the family opened Okui Strawberry and Fruit Stand at the corner of Highland Way and south 13th Street.
“Now people in this area enjoy the work that we do, (and) see firsthand and taste firsthand what we provide,” Okui said.
Today, the open-air farm stand is embellished with all sorts of strawberry regalia. Strawberry-covered flags fly over the business and drawings of berries border store price signs.
Okui said the stand is open daily from late March through Labor Day weekend. During the spring and summer months, a constant stream of customers shows up to buy fresh fruit.
“Okui’s strawberries are always big, juicy and sweet. You won’t find a more perfect berry,” Tribune reader Michelle Villanueva said. “We love when they open for the season. Usually, we will stop by weekly.”
One of the biggest fans of the super sweet berries may be Joan Okui herself.
She has a handful of the plain strawberries as a snack every single day — without fail — while the fruit is in season, Joan told The Tribune.
“I used to always tell my mom, ‘I’m so glad that we grow strawberries, because if I had to buy them all the time, I’d be broke,’ ” she laughed.
What makes the strawberries so good?
It all comes down to the variety, Charles Okui said.
The super sweet berries sold at the stand are the low-yield Albion variety, which differs from those found in chain grocery stores across the county.
Too delicate to ship commercially, the berries linger longer on the vines, developing more sugars and a deeper red hue before being picked by Okui employees.
Compared to other varieties, Albion strawberries produce less per acre and ripen later in the spring.
“The costs are a lot higher,” he said. “But they are by far, in my opinion, the best-tasting strawberries.”
Charles Okui said the strawberry fields are less than a mile from the coast, which delivers a consistent marine layer and a cool, steady climate that helps the berries thrive.
The result is so tasty that Tribune reader Marianne Lehr said she believes magic is also sprinkled in the soil.
Okui is quick to tell customers that the fruit may not always be as sweet as they remember. The strawberries are best when the days are at their longest, and some of the work is still up to Mother Nature’s wishes, he said.
The business is also built on the work of 50 seasonal workers who plant and harvest the popular berries, Charles added.
Foreman Pedro Vargas has worked for the Okui family for 40 years, and several other employees have returned to the fields for decades.
Vargas said he remains motivated by the crowds of people he sees lining up for berries on his daily drive to work. Customer compliments and the efforts of all who operate the family-run business make it easy for him to keep showing up, even after four decades on the job, he told The Tribune.
“Without (Vargas) and our pickers that have been with us, we could not make the fruit stand,” Okui said. “I’m just one key element, but it takes my sister, it takes my foreman and our pickers to make it all come together.”
About 30 years into his strawberry stand endeavor, Charles has not tired from 70-hour work weeks during peak season. He said the happy smiles from customers are enough to keep him going.
“It just feels really gratifying that I’m doing something that the community likes.” he said.
How to visit the most popular strawberry stand in SLO County
The Okui Fruit and Strawberry Stand is open annually from late March through Labor Day weekend.
The stand is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 1234 Highland Way in Grover Beach.
The Okuis don’t sell their strawberries at San Luis Obispo County farmers markets. However, their produce is occasionally included in Talley Farms community-supported agriculture boxes.
This story was originally published May 31, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
