Grapes of Growth

Tara Beaver Coronado’s journey into the world of viticulture was not a conventional one. Although she grew up on a Northern California farm where her family grew corn and alfalfa, her journey to becoming a farmer took a circuitous route. 

“Growing up, I never thought I wanted to be a farmer,” says Tara. “I had a passion to work with kids, so I ended up being a nanny for an amazing family. It was a dream position.” 

Nevertheless, the lure of the farm and the joys of living a rural lifestyle drew her home. 

“I got to the point where I questioned what I wanted to do with my life,” she says. “My husband and I were dating at the time, and we were starting to get serious. In 2015, I ended up talking with my parents, quit the nanny job and moved back to help my dad on the farm. But even when I moved back, I wasn’t convinced I was going to be a farmer. The very first year I was home, I went through a program called California Farm Academy. That’s when I decided farming is what I’m going to do.” 

Training for novice farmers
California Farm Academy is a program of the nonprofit Center for Land Based Learning. They aim to equip beginning farmers with the knowledge, skills and business competency to thrive and grow. During an intensive 7-month program, students are exposed to lectures by farmers, bankers and ag professionals, in addition to hands-on experience and visits to farms. That’s where Tara developed her business plan for Beaver Vineyards. 

Tara and her husband AJ married in 2018, the same year the first vines at Beaver Vineyards were planted. 

Starting a vineyard from scratch was an ambitious undertaking as Tara had no practical experience in viticulture. 

“I found people to mentor me, and my parents placed a lot of faith in me by letting me use 50 acres of their ground. I couldn’t do it without them,” she says. 

Driven by her determination to make her vision a reality, she dove headfirst into learning everything she could about grapes, soil and the business side of farming. There was a lot to learn.

“My number one challenge was getting a grape contract, and at the same time, getting a business loan. The banks are hesitant to loan you money unless they know you have a grape contract. On the flip side, you don’t want to sign a grape contract and then not be able to get the money you need,” she says. 

Living in the Sacramento River Delta, an area that was becoming increasingly popular for vintners, Tara started cultivating relationships with wineries and local growers. 

The first winery Tara contacted wasn’t ready to take on any new growers. The second winery held more promise. They told her what varieties they wanted to plant in her area and gave her a few options. 

“I met with some experienced local growers, and they helped me pick what was right,” she says.

Guidance from mentor
Tara often seeks guidance from Matt Manna, a seasoned grape grower who has become a valuable and trusted resource. “I go to Matt for everything,” she says. “He has always steered me in the right direction. I am so fortunate to have a mentor like Matt because my family doesn’t know anything about grapes.” 

Tara negotiated a 10-year contract to supply Sauvignon Blanc grapes to a winery at the advice of her mentor. “We went over the pros and cons of each variety, and I landed on Sauvignon Blanc because it is a more stable wine variety. Another option, Albariño, is a little more of a specialty white wine. I felt that in the future, when my contract ends, Sauvignon Blanc will still be a popular grape, and it will be easy to get a new contract or sell any overages.” 

Tara is very much a hands-on owner. With 50 acres, she says it’s not economically feasible to own a grape harvester, so she contracts that work. But she is there all night as the grapes are harvested, supervising the harvest and tagging the trucks with tanks full of her grapes. 

You’ll often find her in the cab of one of her New Holland narrow vineyard tractors, working in the vineyard or elsewhere on the property. “I mow and spray all the weeds, and I dust once a week during the growing season,” she says. “I dust every week for about 10 weeks.”

Big Blue & Little Blue
Tara’s tractors are affectionately dubbed “Little Blue” in contrast to “Big Blue,” the four large New Holland T9 Series 4WD tractors her father, Aaron Beaver, operates in his land leveling business. “All his scraper tractors are monsters,” says Tara. “They’re huge! I have a T4.105F and then my brand new one is a T4.110. I’ve got two small tractors and he’s got four big ones.”

Tara used to work 50 hours a week for her dad and squeezed the vineyard work in on the side, but as the vineyard’s production ramped up, it changed. “The vineyard is my main job, and when Dad needs me, I help him,” Tara says.

Although she has worked alongside her dad, Tara doesn’t foresee taking over his land leveling operation when he retires. “It’s definitely been discussed over the years that I’ve been working with him, but I just don’t see it happening,” she says. “My dad is a perfectionist and I’m not. If I took over his business, I think he would never, ever retire because I wouldn’t be doing the work quite right. I don’t blame him. It’s his name and reputation at stake. I don’t have a passion for land leveling, so I don’t see myself taking over that business.”

Now in her fourth harvest season, things at Beaver Vineyards are going well. Tara and her husband welcomed a son, Waylon, in 2021, so she’s now juggling motherhood along with the responsibilities of being a farmer. She’s also busy sharing the joys and tribulations of life on the farm with her growing social media following.

As Beaver Vineyards continues to flourish, the future holds exciting promise.

“My crop has been amazing. Every year it’s gotten better,” she says. “But I’m a mom now, and I don’t see the vineyard expanding. My plan is to keep producing the best crop that I can, hopefully get a full-time employee and make time for my family. I love living on the farm. It is the life I want for my son. I want Waylon to be able to dig in the dirt and collect eggs and grow a garden. That’s the best. I grew up like that, and that’s what I want for him.”

Social Media Empowers Women in Agriculture 
“Hey everyone! I’m Tara, a farmer from Northern California. This channel is mainly about farming but sometimes it’s not! If you want to know what everyday farm life is like, consider subscribing!”

That’s how Tara Beaver Coronado introduces her videos on social media.

Social media platforms have allowed Tara and other women in agriculture to share the joys and challenges of farm life through engaging content and storytelling.

As a millennial, Tara grew up with a fascination for social media. “From the time I was in high school, I was always playing with it. When I finally got into farming, I decided this is what I am going to share on social media,” she says.

With a following of nearly 40,000 fans on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, Tara’s audience is diverse and growing. “It includes people of all ages,” she says. “People who have nothing to do with farming, people who are homesteading and people who are farming or retired from farming. I share about being a mom, about my chickens and about farming, so I kind of reach everybody.”

Tara films and edits the videos herself. She shoots video with her cellphone and a selfie stick or with her GoPro camera mounted to her tractor as she documents daily life on the farm. Her followers are well-acquainted with her flock of chickens, stay up to date on the progress of her grape crop and ride along in her tractor as she goes about her chores.

“I wanted to show that there are women in agriculture and also that I am not married to a farmer,” Tara says. “You can be a farmer without having a farmer husband. My husband works full-time as a physician assistant. I want women to know they can do it if they want to.”

“Originally, I started sharing because my family and friends wanted to know how it was going with the vineyard. And then it just grew. People wanted to know what it was like to be a farmer. We are real people. We are doing what we think is right, and nobody cares more about the planet than farmers. It’s so much fun to share and encourage.”

Follow Beaver Vineyards on Instagram, “Where the vines sway, and the chickens lay,” @TaraBeaverCoronado