Jose Raya: Living the American Dream
In 1980, a 17-year-old boy named Jose Raya left the only home he’d ever known in Mexico to move to the United States. If that boy was scared, he wouldn’t have shown it. He had a plan and he had faith – in himself and in the fact that America truly was the land of opportunity.
Coming to America
When Jose arrived in Chicago, he knew the first step to success was learning the language. “I took the high school (English) class, but it was nothing. Table, chair, maybe.” Jose laughs. He spent three long years attending English classes from 9 am-2 pm. After English class, Jose worked the night shift at various jobs,working from 5 am until one in the morning. It was a grueling schedule, especially for a teenage boy. But even at that age, Jose understood the importance of hard work – and was committed to doing what needed to be done.
California or bust
After his stint in Chicago, Jose set off for California with his newly acquired English skills to help him navigate his future. Having grown up on a farm in Mexico, he began looking for work in agriculture because it made sense. Jose found a seasonal job with a honeydew grower during his first summer in California. After the honeydew harvest was completed, Jose was hired by another local farmer, Neill Mitchell. For a few years, Jose worked winters with the Mitchell family and summers at the honeydew farm. Over time, the Mitchell family began to notice that there was something special about Jose. They noticed his strong work ethic and how the rest of the team seemed to respect him. Sandra Mitchell, Neill’s wife, recalls, “We saw what a great guy he was, so Neill gave him more responsibility.”
Moving on up
The Mitchells offered Jose a full-time job, and he quickly made his way from field laborer to truck driver to manager. Jose credits much of his success to his English skills. “When I came to California with English, that made it easy to get my way around. Neill didn’t know Spanish, but I knew English, so I could communicate with him,” he recalls. While speaking English was definitely helpful, it wasn’t the only thing that set Jose apart. Sandra remembers a hardworking young man who was committed to doing his best at every task he was given. “He was here 12 – 16 hours. He was committed to the farming operation – and to farming in general.”
Jose believes that commitment and character are equally important. “If you’re not a good person, you’re not going to get far. I got married, I tried to stay with my wife and kids, do the right things. Trouble with the law, trouble with your wife, trouble with family – that’s going to get you nowhere. It’s just going to damage your business, your relationship and your work. It’s part of the package, being a good person.”
Taking care of business
As time passed, Neill gave Jose more and more responsibility – and each time, Jose not only met but exceeded all expectations. Ultimately, in 2012, the Mitchell Family decided to make Jose part owner of their farm and Mitchell Dryers. “Nobody works harder than an owner,” Sandra remarks, “That’s why we decided to give him part of the business. He’s worked for us for so many years; he’s like family.”
Today, Jose is a 20% owner of the drying operation as well as the Operations Manager in charge of the dryer and the prune orchard. Jose recalls, “Neill wanted to help me out, to motivate me.” Neill has since retired, leaving his son Joe and Jose at the helm. Joe states, “It’s such a blessing to have him because I don’t have to worry about a lot of things. That’s just his personality – meticulous attention to detail. It takes that burden away from me to know that he’s here and running the dryer and the orchard.”
As an owner, it’s now Jose’s turn to act as a mentor to the men on the farm team. This is both a practical and sentimental act on his part. He matter-of-factly states, “You have to have skills in life. And if they don’t have the skills, we have to teach them, because it’s a danger. I teach them how to do it.”
All in the family
When asked if he feels it’s important to show the next generation that farm work can be an actual career, Jose shrewdly acknowledges, “It’s not for everybody.” In fact, Jose’s three adult children have all taken different paths – pursuing their own successful careers in teaching, finance and mechanics. If you ask the Mitchells however, they’ll remark that Jose’s unshakeable work ethic has rubbed off on his children. Sandra smiles, “They’re the American Dream – that’s what they are. We love them like our own, and we appreciate them.”
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Article and photography by Hilary Rance.