The Farm Store reached a milestone on June 6 when it recorded $1 million in annual sales. President Michael Ortiz, who filled a bag with campus-grown tangelos and strawberries, made the symbolic purchase.

“This is quite an accomplishment, and we still have three weeks to go” before the end of the fiscal year, store manager Dawn Taccone said.

She credited several factors for the boost in sales, including an inviting decor, campus-grown products and a diversified customer base, which is now roughly divided between students and the local community.

The Farm Store has reached out to customers by participating in farmers markets, bringing the store – and the Cal Poly Pomona brand – to them.

“There’s no doubt the farmers markets have helped greatly,” Taccone said. “A lot of people like the fact that they can reduce their carbon footprint by buying locally grown produce, and the fact that we’re a nonprofit that employs students helps as well.”

The Farm Store, which has been operating since 2001, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 4102 S. University Drive. For more information, call (909) 869-4906 or visit http://www.cpp.edu/~farmstore/