After eight years of being owned by the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), historic Purisima Farms will once again become a private farm that supports a local family.
John Giusti, who has been leasing 100 of the 534-acre property to raise Brussels sprouts, has bought the entire farm from POSTt so that he and his three children can continue farming the coastal land just five miles south of Half Moon Bay.
“Owning this farm is a dream come true for us,” said Mr. Giusti, who learned how to work the soil from his father, Aldo, who grows Brussels sprouts and artichokes nearby, on land that was also purchased from POST 15 years ago.
“Our goal for Purisima Farms has always been to put the agricultural lands back into the hands of the farmer,” said POST President Audrey Rust. “We’re delighted that the Giustis will be able to continue their family legacy on the land.”
POST and the California Coastal Conservancy hold easements that protect the land from development. The Giustis will be allowed to build one single-family home.
In 1998, POST bought Purisima Farms from the deBenedetti family for $3.9 million. It could have been developed into as many as six luxury estates, if POST hadn’t bought it, Ms. Rust said.
The land has been used for farming since at least the 1860s when Joseph deBenedetti settled in Half Moon Bay. It became one of the country’s largest producers of artichokes and Brussels sprouts.
“We hope that our children will be able to carry on with the farming tradition of this land for years to come,” said Mr. Giusti.
