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Driscoll’s donates $5 million to Cal Poly for farm store

October 15, 2025

By KAREN VELIE

Driscoll’s, a global leader in fresh berries, pledged $5 million to Cal Poly for a state-of-the-art farm store, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo announced this week.

The farm store, located within the six-acre plant sciences complex, is part of the college’s vision to create a vibrant campus hub for innovation. Students will gain practical experience in growing, producing, marketing and selling campus-made products, while engaging in applied research and retail innovation.

Cal Poly is providing Driscoll’s an opportunity to name the farm store, leaving a lasting legacy and celebrating its commitment to community partnership and student development. The store will proudly feature Driscoll’s berries, providing students, faculty and the community with access to fresh, premium fruit directly from the brand.

“We look forward to seeing our investment transform into a unique learning space where students can gain vital experience in an actual retail environment,” said Driscoll’s executive Brie Smith, a proud Cal Poly alumna. “As someone who personally benefited from Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing approach, I’m thrilled Driscoll’s gets to be part of creating new learning opportunities that will prepare the next generation of industry leaders to bring innovation and entrepreneurial spirit to the food system.”

 


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It cheapens the gift when they put their name and products all over it. it’s marketing not altruism. keep biting at that hook, you consumers.


-5

But, they aren’t a stranger to the school. This isn’t Chevron sponsoring the CP Rodeo, ensuring their name in banners is hanging from every fence and bucking chute.


This is a proud Alumni, who got her academic chops at Poly, and used them to advance her career from sales to the corporate level, and now happily creates MORE opportunity for students to “learn by doing”.


The Nike swoosh on every school sports uniform, THAT’S marketing.


1

Driscoll’s is a quality organization.


9

Why is this corporation giving to Call Poly?

Don’t they know it is a disgraceful university that coddles leftists and is detached from its Agricultural roots? It has become a cancer of the central coast.

Time to boycott these berries.


Oh wait. None of that is true. Nevermind.


-31

Why must you denigrate a good thing? An Alumni, is giving back to the community, and you have to make it politically nasty.


21

I agree, let’s start calling MrYan Mr negative, sore looser or Mr none of that’s true.


5

Because he’s a sniveling leftist. That’s their deal.


1

Read closer Army. Maybe in between the lines. Pith, in the form reflecting back positions expressed here, is not nasty, on my part. As an alum myself I don’t find the institution in disregard though many here do. In fact, that was the topic de jour just recently after Charlie Kirk death. But that escapes you, just like pith.

Together let’s celebrate Cal Poly and ALL it brings to the community, shall we?


-2

Should I say Huero huero did I go wrong…(Hwy) 58? You can do better than that. Both in retort and spelling. I believe in you.


-5

I did read closely. You lied to try to make Poly seem unattached, or at least indifferent, to current world events and politics. Yet, we all know different, as headline after headline attests.


-1

So, you like Cal Poly now? Or you still loathe it, but love a donation to a school you deplore? Truth is, I doubt you know why it bothers you so. Change and accommodation is tough.


-2

Quite so! Unlike Justin Winery, J. Lohr and the Resnicks who capitalized on Cal Poly and Fresno State without such academic affiliations.. Cal Poly https://americanvineyardmagazine.com/cal-poly-names-center-for-wine-viticulture-after-industry-donors/

Fresno State https://studentaffairs.fresnostate.edu/rsu/index.html


1

Nice!


17