Each year more than 14,000 visitors come to the Fantozzi Farms Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch in Patterson, Calif. This year, the 10-acre maze not only offers fun for the whole family, it also tells a unique farm-to-table story starring The Save Mart Cos., the Central Valley grocer with deep roots in the Golden State.
“Our partnership with Save Mart this year has been such a positive experience,” says Denise Fantozzi, who co-owns Fantozzi Farms with her husband, Paul. “Save Mart has been a really important part of our community for years, and so everybody knows about Save Mart and partnering together — showing that pathway from the farm to the grocery store to the table — is something that we can all relate to.”
In the early 2000s, Fantozzi, a former schoolteacher, was looking to incorporate education into fun field trip experiences on the farm, and together with her farmer husband opened the first Fantozzi Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch in 2003.
While Fantozzi says they “started off small,” the agri-entertainment farm has added to the experience over the years with scarecrow contests, hayrides, corn hole tournaments, pumpkin painting and more. It also welcomes scores of school-age children through field trips that bring the farm-to-table message to life.
“We started off just wanting people to come out and learn about farming and where their food comes from and have a fun time,” says Fantozzi. “And over the years we've added lots of attractions, and in the last few years, we've added events to involve the community more in what's going on. And that is our goal, to provide the community with a safe, fun experience that they're going to take a lot of memories away from.”
Fantozzi says the corn maze receives repeat visitors from near and far.
“I just love seeing families come back year after year,” she says. “Building that connection with the community, that's the most rewarding part.”
In addition to corn and pumpkins, Fantozzi Farms grows watermelons, tomatoes for processing, apricots, almonds and alfalfa.
Over the years, Fantozzi says she's become personal friends with many of the families who visit the farm, has watched their kids grow up and, in some cases, become employees at the corn maze in their teen years. And then there are those who visited as children who come back with kids of their own.
Fantozzi says the community created by the farm's corn maze has fostered fun, friendships and even love.
“We've had two marriage proposals at the maze, and both of these couples, when they staged their proposals, told us it was because this is where they did a lot of their dating at our corn maze, and that's where they made their special memories,” she says.
Building Memories on the Farm
An aerial view of the Fantozzi Farms and Save Mart corn maze reveals its breathtaking intricacies. How does a 10-acre corn maze spanning more than 5 miles of twisting paths and 12 hidden checkpoints come to be?
“We start off with our design. We think of what we want the design to be, and that's really sketched out on paper or on the computer,” Fantozzi explains. “From the very beginning, we've had a company called Maze Play that comes out, and they have the equipment to cut the maze design, put in all the paths, and they use a small tractor with a rototiller behind it, and a GPS system. They cut those paths very exact, and the final maze looks just like the design we planned.”
This year's corn maze, which features Save Mart branding integrated in the design, was the brainchild of The Save Mart Cos. Marketing and Social Media Manager Jenna Rose Lee.
“This is ag storytelling at its finest, and it's a connector,” says Lee. “We wanted to showcase the relationship between the farmer and the retailer and the maze design does just that. It showcases the farm to the family table and the supply chain.
“In the design, you'll see our logo, but then in addition to that, you see the tractor,” she continues. “There's a big grocery cart in the middle, and then you also see a home. So, it's really making that connection between how the food gets from the field to our shelves, to the grocery cart, and to your family's dinner table.”
The corn maze also features one of Save Mart's taglines: “Valley Proud.”
“What we wanted to showcase in this huge display, is that we are proud to be here. We're not going anywhere. We're ‘Valley Proud,'” says Lee. “We're proud of our local farmers, and we love our community.
“We were founded in Modesto, Calif, and it's part of who we are and where we are at the heart of the Central Valley, and it's important for us to connect with our local farmers who stock our shelves,” she adds. “Partnering with Fantozzi was a true testament to being local and supporting our local farmers.”
Made for Social Media
Save Mart is also strengthening the connection between farm to table with a strategic social media campaign that shines a light on Fantozzi's Farms' fall bounty.
“Social media is truly how we're connecting with our shoppers and how we're learning more about our shoppers,” says Lee. “They love seeing where their food come from. That never gets old.”
Lee says just because you live in the Central Valley, doesn't mean you've been to a farm or engaged with animals.
“I come from an ag background, but I am still learning about so many different crops,” she says. “I think it's always going to be important to showcase local farmers and the crops that are grown here.”
