GILROY, CA – Garlic grower and packer, Christopher Ranch, is celebrating its 60th year in the garlic business.
Patriarch Don Christopher was not expecting his simple farming goals to transform into "the Garlic King" when he originally started out in 1956, the company said.
Now, 60 years since its conception, Christopher Ranch remains family owned and operated. Today, the business is run by Don’s son, Bill, and two of his grandsons.
The company’s original ranch was started in Gilroy, CA, on a rural plot with a variety of crops including lima beans, sugar beets, and 10 acres of garlic.
In a press release the company said, “It made sense for Don to grow garlic because there was a major garlic shipper in town who was always willing to buy fresh garlic for nine to ten cents per pound.”
Prior to starting his own farm, Don was growing prunes with his father and uncle in South San Jose and Morgan Hill, CA, but left to pursue his own farming interests. An additional benefit to farming garlic? The nine-month growing season, which provided for extra harvests and activities in winter.
Throughout the years, Don annually increased the farm’s land by five to ten acres. By the 1960s, Don had added selling garlic wholesale to the business model, and by the 1970s, garlic was the company’s main crop.
In present times, the company said that it is proud to supply the nation with over 70 million pounds of fresh garlic.
Congratulations to Don, Christopher Ranch, and all of its employees on the anniversary, and AndNowUKnow looks forward to the years to come.
