Sunsational Farms traces its roots back to the 1970s, when Nick and Sharon Faryna built a business managing thousands of acres for local citrus growers during a booming period for the citrus industry. After several devastating freezes in the 1980s, many growers moved south — but thanks to Nick’s innovative use of Microjet sprinklers, local groves began to thrive again. By the late 1990s, citrus was abundant in the area.

By 2001, they opened Sunsational Citrus, a small packing house in Umatilla, shipping premium fruit across the U.S. and internationally. At its peak in 2008, the operation shipped nearly 250,000 cartons and employed over 30 people. A tiny 200 square-foot retail space on-site sold fresh fruit, juice, and local honey. Its popularity led to the opening of a larger 1,600 square-foot store in 2014.

Citrus greening forced the commercial operation to close in 2020, but the Farynas – joined by longtime friends Bill and Dru Baker, repurposed an 18 acre citrus farm to create Sunsational Farms.