“We are proud to announce that we have a newly introduced version of a squeeze garlic, called ‘Easy Squeeze Garlic,’ made with 100 percent California garlic for the retail sector,” said Anthony M. DeAngelis, director, Northeast division, for Christopher Ranch LLC, headquartered in Gilroy, CA. “But for our customers at the Hunts Point Produce Market, we believe that our consistency of service and quality has been the key to our success there over time. We are in the market three times a week, and close enough so anyone can even pick product up from our facility if they need it quicker.”

Christopher Ranch’s history in the United States of growing high-quality garlic reaches back in history to the early 1890s when Ole Christopher emigrated from Denmark and began farming in the beautiful Santa Clara Valley. The generations that followed continued his tradition of always focusing on the best possible growing practices.

Over 50 years ago, Christopher Ranch, as it is known today, was founded by Don Christopher, Ole’s grandson. Since then, the family owned business has been producing superior California garlic from its privately owned farms. Today its garlic line is available in a vast selection of packages that included bulk, peeled, bagged and jarred.

Besides its new squeeze garlic, the company has celebrated numerous other new product milestones in recent years, including the introduction of its heirloom “Monviso” garlic, which is grown from seed that the company has nurtured for over 50 decades. Earlier this year, it introduced roasted garlic that is packaged and ready for use in an unlimited number of ways.

Christopher Ranch also grows and handles a wide variety of other specialty products in both conventional organic options. The line includes specialty onions, shallots, ginger and elephant garlic.

Last summer, Christopher Ranch’s Edison, NJ, facility, where DeAngelis is headquartered, moved to a new distribution facility within the city.

“We’re excited to be settling into the new facility,” he said. “We’re enjoying the new cold storage efficiencies and capacities, as well as the flexibility it lends to our business opportunities.

“This facility was outfitted to the standards we believe will help our business continue to be a successful distribution point to our customers in the Northeast,” DeAngelis continued.

“And while our employees are enjoying the new surroundings, I think the benefit to our customers will continue to be evident in product quality and improved cold chain integrity,” he said.

DeAngelis also noted that after such a long and challenging winter, the company is welcoming spring and the improved Northeast product demand.

“Garlic is a storage crop,” he explained. “Right now [April 30] we are sensing a tight supply on domestic California garlic, and it will be interesting to see if import supplies offer enough to supply the demand through the spring. We anticipate a shorter and stronger market from here through to the new crop in June and July.”

Christopher Ranch continues to hold food safety as a high priority, and DeAngelis said the company recognizes it as a strong consideration in its customers’ purchasing choices.

“We recently completed our annual facility audit to GFS standards and we received a 99 percent,” he said. “We are very proud of the certifications on all our processing facilities.”

He also recognized the locally grown trend, and said that he feels it’s a reasonable movement in that everyone wants the freshest possible food with the least environmental impact.

“But the practicality of the demand is interesting,” he said.

“For example, the conditions under which garlic can be successfully grown and harvested are so complex that the practical growing areas in the U.S. are limited. But then people will buy garlic from China, which is an extreme contradiction. Christopher Ranch has a great story in that we can say that by buying California garlic, consumers are making a great step towards buying local.”