Mosesian Farms of Alaska in Alaska: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Mosesian Farms of Alaska, Inc., known as Bell's Nursery and Gifts, was named the 2025 Alaska Farm Family of the Year. Mike Mosesian founded the business in 1976, and it grows greenhouse tomatoes, cucumbers, flowers and a small vineyard, selling through Alaska's major grocery chains.
| Location | Anchorage, Alaska (three Anchorage locations); company based in Palmer per the award release |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1976 (Mike Mosesian moved to Alaska in 1972) |
| Sectors | Greenhouse vegetables; nursery and bedding plants; poinsettias; wine grapes |
| Scale | Over a million pounds of greenhouse produce a year and about 1.5 acres of greenhouse grapevines, as reported by Alaska media |
| Why it is elite | 2025 Alaska Farm Family of the Year; major supplier of Alaska Grown tomatoes and cucumbers |
| Ownership | Four-generation family business |
| Official website | Alaska Business article on the 2025 Farm Family of the Year |
History of Mosesian Farms of Alaska
Mike Mosesian grew up in Bakersfield, California, where his family farmed about 1,000 acres of table and wine grapes and made wine and raisins. He studied viticulture in California, moved to Alaska in 1972 and founded Bell's Nursery four years later. The nursery later added a gift shop and coffee bar.
Mosesian has described a 1980 windstorm that destroyed the operation, which he rebuilt stronger. In 2025 the Alaska Division of Agriculture and the Alaska State Fair named the family Farm Family of the Year, an award established in 2000. His six children and ten grandchildren are involved: a daughter is the accountant, a son-in-law is crop manager, and another daughter handles marketing, which makes four generations of farmers.
What Mosesian Farms of Alaska Grows and Raises
Bell's grows hydroponic vine-ripened tomatoes and English cucumbers in greenhouses, and Alaska media report more than a million pounds of vegetables a year. It also grows bedding plants, hanging baskets, tubs, trees, shrubs and garden starts, plus poinsettias starting in July for the holidays.
Bell's Vineyard grows about 1.5 acres of grapevines in a greenhouse, and the family makes wine from its own grapes. Mosesian has said he hopes to expand the vineyard. Challenges he has named include a short season, long winters, limited market demand and competition from imported hothouse tomatoes, which he sees as unnecessary in Alaska.
How Mosesian Farms of Alaska Makes Money
Greenhouse produce
Tomatoes and cucumbers are sold through Carrs, Fred Meyer, Walmart and Three Bears, and distributed by Charlie's Produce, DiTomaso and US Foods. Grocery and food-service contracts give the farm a steady outlet.
Nursery and seasonal plants
Annuals, poinsettias, hanging baskets, trees, shrubs and garden starts are sold at the Anchorage garden centers, with custom hanging basket orders taken in the fall for spring pickup.
Wine and gifts
Wine from Bell's Vineyard, a gift shop and a coffee bar add retail revenue at the Anchorage locations.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Mosesian Farms of Alaska
The first lesson is to match the product to the climate. In a state with a short outdoor season, greenhouse production lets a farm supply fresh produce for far more of the year. Operators in cold regions can study how heated, controlled-environment growing fits their local markets.
The second lesson is to find the market before planting. Mosesian has called finding a market for a perishable product the most important step for new farmers, and his multi-channel mix of grocery chains, distributors and retail is the proof. The third is to use retail and value-added products to smooth out seasonal income.
Growing a vineyard inside a greenhouse in Alaska is the kind of confidence that makes the rest of us feel lazy about our tomato plants. After you finish watering the poinsettias, visit farm.FM for farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes. Yes, we have a joke about wine grapes at 61 degrees north, and it is a respectful one.
farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.
How to Contact Mosesian Farms of Alaska
No operation phone, address or email is printed in the sources used for this page, so none is listed. The website link points to a published report, not an official farm site; confirm visits or purchases with the operation or the Alaska Division of Agriculture.
Mosesian Farms of Alaska Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Bell's Nursery owners chosen as 2025 Farm Family of the Year - Alaska Business magazine
- Hearing from Alaska's 2025 Farm Family of the Year - Alaska's News Source interview
- Alaska Farm Family of the Year winners - Alaska Division of Agriculture list of past winners
- USDA NASS Alaska 2022 Census of Agriculture - State-level farm numbers and sales
- UAF Extension agriculture calculators - Cooperative Extension tools for Alaska growers
Mosesian Farms of Alaska FAQ
What is Mosesian Farms of Alaska?
The company behind Bell's Nursery and Gifts, which grows greenhouse vegetables, flowers and wine grapes in Alaska.
What award did it win?
The 2025 Alaska Farm Family of the Year.
What does it sell?
Tomatoes, cucumbers, bedding plants, hanging baskets, poinsettias, trees and shrubs, wine and gifts.
Where are the garden centers?
The award release lists three Anchorage locations on Specking, Cranberry and DeArmoun roads.
Mosesian Farms of Alaska shows how controlled-environment growing can supply a northern market year after year. See the Alaska farms guide for the state's programs and the other profiled operation.