Check Out Our New Segment on California Bountiful
We’re so excited about our latest partnership! Don’t miss the CA GROWN Spotlight on California Bountiful.
Here at California Grown, we love to share stories about California agriculture, the farmers and the foods that make our state so unique. Our friends at California Bountiful have a similar mission but a different medium – television! So obviously, a partnership made perfect sense. Starting January 11th, each episode of California Bountiful will feature a new segment, CA GROWN Spotlight, highlighting California growers, nurseries, restaurants and more.
We met with Aubrey Aquino, the host and executive producer of California Bountiful, to chat about what she’s learned and why she hopes you’ll tune in.

Wait – California Grown and California Bountiful aren’t the same thing?
California Bountiful is the California Farm Bureau’s lifestyle brand. They connect consumers to agricultural sources through their eponymous television show and magazine. Although we share the same ultimate goal, California Grown communicates mainly through digital platforms – specifically our website and social media channels. California Grown also does in-store promotions with retailers (be sure to ask for food, wine and flowers from California!), nutrition education, and food service programs.
Learning together
California Bountiful’s host, Aubrey Aquino, confesses that she doesn’t have a background in agriculture. She didn’t grow up on a farm or earn a degree in agricultural science. This, however, works to Aubrey’s advantage as she meets with the folks featured in each episode. Why? Because she doesn’t already have all the answers, she has many of the same questions as her audience.
Aubrey has a knack for crafting a story that’s accessible, engaging and informative.

“I always tell people that I use my natural curiosities to drive a lot of these stories, and it’s the things that I find interesting that I choose to help guide where my storytelling goes. I feel like, well if these are things that I’m finding interesting, there’s probably other people that wanna know more about it too.”
The California Bountiful team in action; interviewing some of the folks from Bravo Farms!
Continuing Education
As the host of California Bountiful, Aubrey has met with hundreds of growers, farmers and ranchers throughout the state. Her biggest takeaway – and what she hopes translates to her audience – is how unbelievably passionate and knowledgeable these agricultural folks are. Aubrey effuses, “They are a wealth of knowledge – all the science and thought and analytics that go into what they do. I mean, it’s mind-blowing. It’s so much more than just planting seeds in the ground and growing things. You would never really know just all that hard work they put in – day in, day out.”

Aubrey’s excitement is genuinely contagious, both in person and on screen. She’s truly delighted to share some of the fascinating facts she’s learned with California Bountiful’s viewers. Aubrey recalls, “When I did a story about loofah, I mean, I had no idea about the loofah plant and how that grows; I just used it in the shower,” she laughs. “So, I got to learn all about loofah.”
Creating awareness and connections
Aubrey hopes that viewers will tune in each week to learn more about California agriculture, but the real goal of each episode is to create awareness and connections. She elaborates, “When they watch California Bountiful, I hope that they (viewers) feel a little bit entertained, but I certainly hope they feel a little bit more educated and enlightened. Maybe they’re like, ‘Hey, I wanna find out more,’ or ‘I wanna visit that farm,’ or ‘I’m gonna try that fruit, that vegetable.’ Maybe even feeling a little bit more proud that they’re from California, that they’re from a state with all these wonderful things to offer.” Aubrey continues, “So if you tune into the show, there’s a takeaway for everyone at every level, at every age, whether it’s something you wanna buy, something you wanna see, something you wanna taste – there’s something for everyone.”

She adds, “One of the main goals for California Bountiful is to connect the consumer with California growers. We want them to realize that these California growers are part of our community – they’re available and want to get to know you. Sometimes, it just takes watching a TV program or reading an article to know they exist.”
Aubrey continues, “People wanna support local and they wanna know that their food source isn’t far away. And I think when people know that they’re there, they’re more likely to search them out.”
Why is it important to support California agriculture?
California Bountiful helps to educate viewers about California agriculture and introduces them to growers and producers throughout the state. Aubrey hopes the show will encourage people to seek out and support California Grown produce and products. She elaborates, ”It is so important for consumers to support California agriculture because it is the backbone of our state. I mean, we all need to eat, we all wear clothes. California agriculture goes so far beyond just local. We literally are feeding the whole country and so much of the world.”



Consumer support is crucial for our California farmers to thrive and continue to feed the world. Aubrey adds, “We need our growers, but the growers also need us. So, we need to show support for that local food.” To that end, Aubrey takes her responsibility to educate and inspire her viewers very seriously. She states, ”There’s this movement, right – we wanna know where our food source is. It’s really timely to have a show like California Bountiful where you can learn more about those stories. Not just about the crops but also the people who are growing them. It just makes the experience of consuming these goods that much more memorable and fun.”

How to watch California Bountiful
Tune in every other Saturday to watch California Bountiful – and be sure to stay tuned to the end of each episode to watch the CA GROWN Spotlight! Check your local listings, find them online on YouTube, or download their free app. You can also catch California Bountiful on the following streaming platforms: Roku, iOS Mobile, tvOS (AppleTV), Android Mobile, Chromecast and Amazon FireTV.
Don’t forget to follow California Bountiful on Facebook and Instagram for sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes looks at each episode!
Article by Hilary Rance. Photography by James Collier and Hilary Rance.