drive past the strawberry fields in santa maria this time of the year, and you'll be treated to the fragrance and color of fruit fit for a king. a naturally cool climate mixed with the balmy pacific winds insulate this area from getting too hot or too cold, making california one of the absolute best places in the entire world to grow strawberries--not that you have to tell daren gee that. >> how much do you need? what do you need, a box or two boxes? >> i'm just going to get a flat, at least, a flat, so. >> a flat? >> $5,000. but for you-- [laughs] >> we'll reduce the price. >> a good deal, huh? [laughs] >> daren is founder of daren's berries, aka db specialty farms, where they grow 4 varieties of strawberries across more than 700 acres, making daren one of the largest individual growers of strawberries in california. all is a far cry from where his farm started out--as a small class project. >> and it was so exciting to actually grow something and to see success, and in those days, we had 6 acres. all of us kids would get 6 acres to grow our cotton projects. well, you know, now it became a c