At Trefethen Vineyards in Napa, they’re growing a lot more than grapes.

On a quarter-acre patch of land outside the winery on Oak Knoll Avenue, Trefethen employees are cultivating corn, squash, melons, tomatoes and a mouth-watering assortment of chili peppers—all for their own use.

“The response from the workers has been great,” said Jon Ruel, Trefethen’s director of viticulture and vineyard operations, as he and gardener Prudencio Mesa picked ripe red and green peppers one recent afternoon. “They love it.”

One happy employee is head gardener David Alosi, who declared “That’s ‘slow food.’ We have ‘you-pick-it’ parties.”

Elsewhere on the property, employees can harvest fresh citrus and stone fruit and bring it home to their families as well, Ruel said.

The practice began a couple of years ago, when Ruel decided to start gardening in “little corners of the property where it just doesn’t make sense to plant grapes,” he explained.

Trefethen pays employees for their time planting and cultivating the “huerta,” or kitchen garden, and it’s thriving under their care. Several of the farmworkers own agave plantations in Jalisco, Mexico, Ruel said, and are experts at growing bountiful crops with only compost to nourish them.

“I’m blown away,” he said. “It takes very little work and no chemicals whatever.”

Ruel himself is as involved in the garden as any of his employees: He planted some Italian “goat-horn” peppers — like the ones represented on necklace pendants — from heirloom seeds saved over generations, most recently by his mother.

While much of the “huerta’s” produce is savored fresh—workers can harvest their vegies for lunch and follow with a dessert of tree-picked fruit — Ruel has long-term plans for his heirloom peppers: He’ll dry them, then prepare a traditional Italian Christmas dish for his fellow-workers in December.

As the sun creeps farther south and days shorten, the Trefethen workers will keep the garden going with cool-season crops. Garbanzo beans are already in the ground, Ruel said.

The garden is an extra benefit for Trefethen’s 100 or so employees, 60 of whom work in the vineyards. All the workers already have access to medical and dental insurance and a 401(k) program, and receive paid vacation and sick time.

“We really try to treat all our employees well, across the company,” said Ruel, who also hosts on-the-clock health fairs and other educational events for Trefethen workers.

“Taking care of our employees is not new,” he continued, adding that Trefethen’s turnover has always been low, with some workers boasting more than 25 years on the job.

“My job is so easy when we have happy employees.”

And the garden is more than just another way to show them they’re appreciated, Ruel said.

“It’s a really good reminder to the workers in the field that they work on a farm, not just a winery,” he said, adding “I also think it encourages healthy eating habits.”

With childhood obesity booming, Ruel continued, workers who bring home fresh, local produce for tasty meals are encouraging their families to eat well—and training young taste buds toward garden-grown, handcrafted goodies, instead of fast and packaged foods.

“We’re trying to share our values,” he explained. “We believe wine is very much a natural product.”