Christopher Ranch continually increasing its organic production to meet demand
Christopher Ranch continually increasing its organic production to meet demand
Christopher Ranch, a name known for high-quality garlic and other specialty products, is a family-owned-and-operated grower, packer, marketer and shipper that was founded over 50 years in Gilroy, CA. In 1997 the company introduced its organic line.
Patsy Ross, vice president of marketing for the company, said the strongest selling products in its organics line are garlic in bulk and peeled form.
Christopher Ranch’s six-ounce peeled organic garlic bag.
“While these are our strongest volume items, we also grow or handle organic shallots, pearl onions, cipolline onions, boiler onions, elephant garlic and ginger,” said Ross. “We also handle a full line of jarred organic items such as chopped and roasted garlic, shallots and ginger.”
It is notable that during its 50-year history, the company has been working with an heirloom variety of garlic, which is now at market under the “Monviso” brand name.
In the 1950s, Don Christopher came upon a garlic variety that he thought was the most flavorful he had ever tasted. It had been cultivated in Italy for centuries, originating in the Piedmont area near Monviso. In 1956, when Christopher established his ranch in California’s fertile Santa Clara Valley, he planted the Monviso seed.
The company lays claim to having nurtured its Monviso heirloom seed line for over half a century to preserve the variety‘s exceptional flavor while other growers chose to adopt higher yielding, less flavorful varieties.
No other grower has maintained such an intensive seed program over the years and Christopher Ranch has never sold its beloved seed to any other farmer. Today, therefore, Monviso is the only commercially grown heirloom garlic in the United States.
Ross said that Christopher Ranch grows its organic garlic domestically, and that it continues to increase its acreage annually.
“But with demand for our organic garlic so high, we also have to import some from South America in order to fulfill our customers’ needs,” she said.
The company’s customer base is spread across the entire retail, foodservice and industrial markets, Ross said. Its product is a chef’s favorite because of its strong flavor as compared to garlic imported from most other countries, and it adds a perfect organic zing to dishes. Christopher Ranch’s products are shipped across the United States.
“Demand for organic products continues to increase every year,” said Ross. “We predict continued growth in the organic category in the future, and Christopher Ranch’s strategy is to continue to meet the growing demand.”
