Rob Brokaw

Rob’s Story

Rob Brokaw is the owner of Brokaw Nursery, Inc. and can trace his lineage all the way back to Harold Brokaw, the Whittier, California nursery man who propagated the Hass Avocado in the 1920s. He learned the business from his father Hank, who developed clonal root rot-resistant trees. (Root rot, known as Phytophthora root rot, is a serious disease faced by avocado growers around the world.)

As a third-generation California Avocado grower, Rob continues to refine growing techniques to produce stronger, healthier avocado trees. His groves are part of an irrigated lands management group and utilize water conservation methods like drip irrigation. He maintains conservation areas and uses a high-density planting method where avocado trees are planted relatively close together to increase how much fruit can be harvested in the same space.