WINTERS, Calif. — At the turn of the century, farmer Sergii Gavelovskiy built his first greenhouse near Odesa, Ukraine, where he grew vegetables for his family and the community.

“I always lived in a village on the coastal region of Azov,” he said in a Ukrainian accent. “My agriculture’s experience basically grew from my interest to plants. Put seeds in the ground and….”

Over the next years, Sergii expanded his farming operation into a sustainable business with the help of his wife, Tanya. In their greenhouses, they grew a variety of crops such as cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries and sweet peppers.

Life changed dramatically for the Gavelovskiys in 2014, when war broke out in southern and eastern Ukraine, collectively known as the Donbas. Russian-backed troops sought to separate the region from the rest of Ukraine in what proved to be a prelude to Russia’s full-fledged invasion of the nation last year.

The Gavelovskiy family sought refugee status and immigrated to California. They settled in Sacramento, which has the largest population of Ukrainian immigrants in the state, in 2015.

“I am Sergii — not S-e-r-g-e-y. This is Ukrainian spelling of my name,” Gavelovskiy said. “Long time ago this did not matter, but now I want to be separate from any Russian things.”

In 2016, Sergii leased greenhouses from Bart, Eva and Paul Bruins when they retired and began to grow vegetables for regional farmers markets, including the Ferry Plaza Market in San Francisco.

The family now has 25 greenhouses and lives on the farm in nearby Winters. They grow more than 20 varieties of vine-ripened tomatoes, plus their popular Baby Blanca cucumbers and other vegetables.

The Gavelovskiys became U.S. citizens in 2022.

Sergii and his family chose to live in California because it is the “dream state” for immigrants, he said.

Farming in California is different from farming in Ukraine, he said. California has two seasons — hot summers and rainy and windy winters. Ukraine is a four-season country.

The Gavelovskiy family’s story is an inspiring immigrant story as well as one of farm transition success, said Brie Mazurek, communications director of Foodwise, which operates the Ferry Plaza Market.

“We started with Gavel’s Farm in 2019 after the Gavelovskiys took over farm operations from the Bruins family when they retired,” she said. “We love working with Sergii, Tanya, Daniel and Mark to bring their flavorful greenhouse-grown tomatoes and cucumbers to our Ferry Plaza Farmers Market community in the cold, wet months, when field-grown tomatoes are not in season.”

Hometown: Odesa, Ukraine

Location: Winters, Calif.

Occupation: Organic farmer

Name of farm: Gavel’s Farm

Family: Wife Tanya and sons Daniel and Mark

Online: https://www.facebook.com/gavelfarm/

Quote: “Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” (Proverbs 13:10).