Meet the Fresh Produce Owners!

Front (L-R): Humphry, Mary Ellen (in the new ME Collection) with Spanky. Back (L-R): Bubb, Thom, and Scout (in the famous Fresh Produce Oxford Shirt.)

An Affair Of The Heart, Mind & Fun.

They were just out of college, in love, naive, and thought all it took to succeed was an original idea and hard work. And you know what, they were right! College track teammates at Kansas State, Thom and Mary Ellen Vernon founded Fresh Produce. Thom participated in distance events, and Mary Ellen ran the sprints. Ironically, they've been running ever since - a business, that is along with a growing family.

About Us

It's a long way from Long Beach, California to Boulder, Colorado... or is it? Fresh Produce first sprouted in 1984 in Long Beach, selling silk-screened t-shirts in bright graphics and custom jewelry at the '84 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in the parking lot across the street from the coliseum. The concept then is the same as now - to bring the emotions, the colors, the sensations, the leisure of beach life to every day life through fashion. It was and is the life of Thom and Mary Ellen Vernon, the dynamic husband and wife team that started the company and whose vision continues to inspire the Fresh Produce culture.

In 1986, Thom and Mary Ellen were brainstorming at The Spot, a famed La Jolla, California pub, looking for a company name that was catchy, memorable and evoked a sense of something different - and Fresh Produce was born. Soon, Mary Ellen's twin sister Jennifer Haney abandoned her day-job and joined her sister designing Fresh Produce clothing. Two years later, Fresh Produce started selling in Nordstrom department stores and by 1990, the beach life relocated lock, stock and sunscreen to Boulder, Colorado - home of the Rocky Mountain Ocean.

Now in its third decade, Fresh Produce continues to be primarily Made in the USA and has grown into a $50 million company with one of the most original, refreshing and captivating casual, resort and sportswear lines in America. Known and loved by women ages 6 months to 60-plus for lush colors, year-round sensibility, simply inspired design and coastal comfort, Fresh Produce continues to delight customers around the globe. Fresh Produce can be found in Nordstrom, Walt Disney resorts and stores, and over 800 specialty boutiques and resort retailers. Plus, company-owned stores and factory outlets are scattered throughout the country, including exclusive seashore resorts in North America and the Caribbean.