The Chuck Olsen Co. in Visalia, CA, is involved n a variety of commodities as shipper, distributor, exporter and load consolidator for foodservice and retail, but the company’s two major product lines are citrus and grapes, both of which are year-round programs, according to President Jeff Olsen.

The Olsen family has been in the consolidation side of the business for four generations.

California grapes and California citrus are major components of the program, but during the California grape season, the company imports citrus, and during the California citrus season the company imports grapes.

Overall, throughout the year, citrus volume and grape volume for The Chuck Olsen Co. are probably “pretty close,” but the citrus program might have “a little bit more volume,” Olsen said.

Jeff OlsenThis year’s California citrus program at The Chuck Olsen Co. is “pretty much standard,” similar to recent years, he said. There is a possibility of an increase in volume out of the desert growing areas of Southern California, but that remains uncertain because “we share a lot of growers with other people, and everyone always jockeys for position. But it should be pretty well steady as she goes, and overall quality looks good right now.”

When The Produce News talked to Olsen Oct.14, the company had just started lemons out of the desert. Olsen expected to start Navels out of the Central Valley within about three weeks. “Some people have already started,” he said, “so it looks like the Navel deal is going to be a little bit earlier” than normal. The fruit was already “testing,” and “everything this year seems to be a little ahead of schedule as far as maturity is concerned.”

In the desert, in addition to lemons, The Chuck Olsen Co. will have some Minneolas, grapefruit, Murcotts, and a few oranges, he said. Lemons will go through March in that district, and “all of the varietal stuff will probably be middle to end of November through the end of December.”

Lemons in the Central Valley should start around the first of December, he said.

The Navel crop appears to be a little lighter than last year with bigger-sized fruit, “probably peaking on 72s and 88s and 56s,” he said. “I think we will have smaller fruit as we get started here,” but after the first of the year, smaller-sized fruit will probably be in tighter supply.

In the valley, The Chuck Olsen Co. grows some of its own citrus and also has various grower deals, he said. It is all packed under company labels, including “Stage Coach.”

The new California Standard for Navel maturity adopted two seasons ago “helps everybody,” Olsen said. “If we put something out there that they can’t eat, that is never a good situation and they don’t come back.” Under the new standards, “nobody is pushing the limits,” he said.