Sometimes it pays to answer those pesky sales calls. Joe Cataldo, the owner of J&M Farms in Lodi, CA, learned as much — the hard way — in 2018. Carrying a bucket of cherries, Cataldo walked into a local restaurant, bearing gifts and bad news. He had recently watched 3 inches of rain decimate his cherry crop. “Whenever I go to an establishment here locally, since it’s cherry harvest and we’re really proud of our fruit, I always bring it in to give to the staff because it’s a small town, and I know everybody,” Cataldo says.
While doing so, Cataldo played the part of “poor farmer,” he says. “I was joking with the owner of the establishment, ‘Enjoy these cherries. They’re the last ones you’re going to get for the rest of the year. Our crop was ruined.’ And I said it kind of loud.”
Loud enough to catch the attention of an unfamiliar patron, who then asked, “Oh, where are those cherries from?” And, “What’s your name?”…