Christopher Ranch, headquartered in Gilroy, CA, is a leading producer of garlic, shallots and numerous other specialty items. Patsy Ross, vice president of marketing for the company, said the grower and packer has produced organic garlic since 1997.

“Today our organic line is very extensive,” said Ross. “Our bestselling organic items are fresh and peeled garlic. But our organic specialty line for retail also includes elephant garlic, shallots, pearl onions, boiler onions, cippoline onions and ginger. And we have a full line of value added organic jarred items, which includes garlic, shallots, ginger and roasted garlic in peeled, chopped, crushed and roasted garlic puree. These are packaged in shelf-stable jars.”

Ross noted that the organic specialty onion program is perfect for fall cooking and for the upcoming fall and winter holidays. Organic shallots, pearl onions, boiler onions and cippoline onions, she said, are a perfect addition to soups, stews and all other savory dishes that people love during these seasons.

The majority of Christopher Ranch’s organic garlic and shallots are produced in California.

“Producing in the U.S. is extremely important to our organic program, and is always our first choice,” she said. “But we may have to supplement from other growing regions to keep up with the demand of organic products from our customers.”

For more than 50 years the Christopher family has been growing superior California garlic from its privately owned farms in Gilroy. The company takes great pride in providing the highest quality, most flavorful and healthy garlic available today.

The multi-generation firm has a strong customer base across all segments of the food industry, including retailers, wholesalers, foodservice distributors and processing manufacturers. Its products are shipped nationwide and into Canada.

Ross said that the demand for organic products from the company has not declined over the past several years, despite the economic recession.

“In fact, we are not able to supply our customer base with the organic items we grow and handle,” she said. “Demand is definitely outpacing supply.”

Christopher Ranch has year-round availability of domestically produced organic garlic. It expands its organic production every year in its effort to keep up with the growing year-round demand for organic garlic, shallots and elephant garlic.

“Our Organic Seed was cultivated over the years from our heirloom variety ‘Monviso’ garlic,” Ross pointed out. “We have 100 percent control, and we oversee every step of the growing process to ensure the high quality of our organic garlic.”