In 1997, Christopher Ranch, a leading grower and shipper of high-quality garlic and other specialty products, opened a branch in Pompano Beach, FL. Patsy Ross, marketing director for the Gilroy, CA-based company, said that the Pompano warehouse is important to the company’s customers in the Southeast corner of the United States.

“This warehouse, along with our Los Angeles, New Jersey, and Chicago locations, as well as our home ranch in Gilroy, facilitates the distribution of our products through the U.S.,” said Ross. “In addition, each warehouse location has its own delivery truck which enables us to service our customers in each of the corridors.”

Although the company had its start in the 1880s when Ole Christopher emigrated from Denmark to the Santa Clara Valley, the company, as it’s organized today, began in 1956 when third-generation Don Christopher and his brother, Art, established Christopher Ranch on 130 acres in Gilroy. Because Gilroy was known as the “Garlic Capital,” they decided to grow 10 acres of garlic along with lima beans and sugar beets.

Today, Christopher Ranch plants and harvests over 4,000 acres of garlic and other fresh produce. With 60 million pounds of California garlic produced annually, the company is one of the larger producers and packers of fresh garlic in the United States. The Ranch employs over 400 people year-round and has a seasonal harvesting crew of 1,000.

Christopher Ranch uses state-of-the-art technology in the growing, harvesting, manufacturing, packing and shipping of all their fresh and packaged garlic products, including peeled garlic and shallots, roasted garlic cloves, pickled garlic, chopped, crushed and minced garlic, chopped ginger, pesto sauce, pickled garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. It also produces bell peppers, elephant garlic, ginger root, specialty onions and organic products.

Ross explained that because of the current drought situation in the Gilroy area and the Central Valley, the company had to acquire ground to grow its garlic in different areas in California at much higher costs. And it had to deal with the unknowns associated in growing in new locations.

“Christopher Ranch has plenty of product for our customers this year,” she continued. “We anticipate no major issues this summer.”