“We’re telling everyone to tune into the Bio Channel on Thursday, April 17, for the ‘Food Factory’ TV Show,” said Patsy Ross, marketing manager for Christopher Ranch, headquartered in Gilroy, CA. “If you’ve ever wondered how we make our yummy and versatile roasted garlic cloves, you’ll see the process in action then.”

Ross said that the “Food Factory” TV camera crew went to the Christopher Ranch facility and documented its roasting process. The program debuted in Canada earlier this year.

Toting the mantra, “All garlic is not created equal,” Christopher Ranch has a 50-year tradition of supplying garlic products to retail and foodservice customers. It ships over 60 million pounds of fresh California heirloom garlic annually. Its Canadian retail customer base is also growing, and to meet the Canadian demand the company now has a line of peeled garlic, specialty items and value-added jarred products, along with fresh garlic, available with the bilingual labels needed in Canada.

Christopher Ranch as celebrated numerous other milestones in recent years. The company continues to celebrate its proprietary “Monviso” garlic. Over 50 years ago, Don Christopher came upon a variety of garlic that he believed was the most flavorful he had ever tasted. The seed had been cultivated in Italy for centuries, originating in the Piedmont area near Monviso. When Christopher established his ranch in the Santa Clara Valley, he planted the “Monviso” varietal.

Christopher Ranch has also maintained an intensive seed program throughout its history, and it has never sold its beloved seed to other farmers.

The company also has an extensive line of organic garlic and specialty items, including jarred and value added packaged products.

In its conventional line, Christopher Ranch offers garlic in every imaginable form, such as peeled, chopped, minced, pickled and roasted, a full line of specialty onions, shallots and even cherries and sweet corn.

In 2013, the company announced that it had been awarded a Superior rating in its most recent Primus GFS audit, earning a score of 95.8 percent. Janette Codiga, vice president of food safety and compliance at Christopher Ranch said, “At Christopher Ranch, food safety is of paramount importance, and we work continuously to improve and maintain high standards of quality and sanitation in our growing, processing and packing facilities. We are committed to giving our customers the best, and the safest products possible by following strict guidelines to ensure ‘quality from the ground up.”

For now the company is looking forward to the U.S. public and the trade getting a look into how the company produces its roasted garlic.

“Christopher Ranch Roasted Garlic cloves are made with 100 percent California-grown garlic,” explained Ross. “They are lightly seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper and then oven roasted for uniform flavor. The cloves are ready to use in sauces, soups or dips. Our roasted garlic is a perfect accompaniment to meat, poultry, vegetable and pasta dishes as whole cloves or when pureed for a sweet nutty flavor.

“Our roasted garlic cloves can be found in many retailers across the nation and in the produce department of Loblaw’s Supermarkets in Canada,” she added.