Sweet Darling Sales Inc., in Watsonville, CA, harvests strawberries from early April until early November. Matt Biscotti, sales representative for the company, said the company’s crop is produced and harvested primarily in the Watsonville District.

One of Sweet Darling Sales strawberry ranches in Watsonville, CA.“Watsonville is the only district we harvest our berries in,” said Mr. Biscotti. “Sweet Darling has been a single grower-shipper for over 20 years. John Larse is the company proprietor. He founded the company with the mission of producing a superior tasting, longer lasting strawberry that is true to the meaning of our trademark.”

Sweet Darling Sales claims that precision agricultural practices and cool temperatures during fruit ripening results in longer shelf life. The company’s strawberry production sites are located about five miles west of the town of Watsonville. Its hillside locations overlooking the freezing cold Pacific Ocean are on the coastal bluffs adjacent to Sunset, Manresa and Zmudowski State Beaches. Its close proximity to the cold ocean temperature gradient affords fruit ripening at cooler than normal temperatures.

“These cool ripening temperatures extend the shelf life of our strawberries by two or more days,” said Mr. Biscotti. “Typically, the field is exposed to at least an additional full hour of sunlight more than the valley floor due to the situation of our western facing slopes that receive the last rays of the setting sun.”

All of these factors combined contribute to the production of ultra-premium fruit with complex flavor and superb color that are characteristics of the Sweet Darling strawberry.

The Sweet Darling cooler is located in the artichoke capital of the world, cool coastal Castroville California. It is where, the company points out, Marilyn Monroe was the Miss California Artichoke Queen in 1948.

The cool receiving dock temperatures in Castroville, state of art cooling equipment, direct control of post-harvest process also contribute to the extended shelf life of the company’s fruit. Trucks are loaded and out very fast, gaining precious hours on estimated delivery time at customers’ docks.

As the sole producer, Sweet Darling has absolute control of agricultural and post-harvest practice, and this coherent horticultural practice affords continuity of product quality on the retail display from month to month.

The Sweet Darling strawberry has gained recognition among a few discreet buyers as a very special strawberry.

“The Sweet Darling team steadily fulfills our customer’s orders,” said Mr. Biscotti. “We ship our berries all over the U.S., Canada and to various offshore destinations. Our strawberries compute to very little shrink, more repeat sales and higher gross profits.”