Our Story

"the ingredients really do make the difference"

My name is Diane Padoven and I am the founder of Napa Farmhouse 1885™. I "retired" from the corporate world a couple of years ago because I wanted to experience a real life after years of 80 hour work weeks and constant travel.... A year later I realized that I was having a really good time, was always busy (how did i ever fit in a job??) and needed a creative outlet to share my experiences...oh yeah, and I started a company too...introducing Napa Farmhouse 1885™.

When I was young, my sisters and I used to spend a few weeks at my Grandparent's home during summer vacation. My grandmother used to buy fresh produce daily at a small open air produce stand..she called it the fruit stand...and we loved going with her during those summer weeks. She knew the proprietor quite well..she would taste everything before she selected her daily items...and always made sure we tasted too. This was the 70's so the proliferation of farmer's markets and organic produce had not yet begun.

I think this is what started my lifelong love of terrific tasting ingredients. I believe quality ingredients are an investment. An investment in your health, in really good tasting food, in supporting small farmers and in the earth. When we purchased our farmhouse in the Napa Valley of California, I inherited a number of mature fruit trees...persimmon, fig, lime, meyer lemon, mandarin orange and pear and finally had the time to experiment with preserving foods, creating my own seasoning blends and growing herbs, fruit and vegetables organically. I soon realized that I had found my passion and my new career...I should have known...when I used to go on business trips to Europe my associates would go crazy buying shoes, handbags and clothes...I was the one lugging back tins of extra virgin olive oil, vinegars and seasonings....

All items in our "farmhouse food" assortment are handcrafted using organic or sustainably grown ingredients. The fruit used in our delicious jams, marmalade and chutney is grown at our farmhouse using organic/sustainable methods. Our other ingredients are organic and sourced as locally as possible. Our packaging is eco-friendly. We use reusable containers and biodegradable labels made from recycled paper printed with soy-based ink and water based 100% recyclable adhesive. Our toppers are repurposed magazine pages. We love what we do...Our company motto..."live a green life of style™".