Jan 23, 2019
“You know the garlic is USA grown when it’s grown by Christopher Ranch.” - Lori
With the rise of awareness and education, consumers are becoming more conscious regarding the sourcing of their produce. When seeking responsibly sourced garlic, look no further than Ken Christopher and his family at Christopher Ranch, the only family-owned garlic farm in the United States. The ranch is rich with family legacy and has its roots deep in the California soil.
Their story began with Ole Christopher who migrated from Denmark in the 1880s in hopes of finding land to settle. His grandson, Don, learned the ropes of farming from his father and grandfather and then bought 10 acres of his own to begin farming garlic. In the past 60 years, Christopher Ranch has scaled those 10 acres into over 5,000, and last year harvested 110 million pounds of California Heirloom Garlic. If you were to visit the ranch today, you would find that they are still family owned and operated, brother, father, grandson, and cousins working side-by-side to grow and harvest exceptional produce.
“It’s so critically important for us to not be holed into a faceless corporate board or faceless directors interested only in profits. As a truly family run company, we can do what is best for our product, what is best for our legacy, and what’s best for our community.” - Ken Christopher
While Christopher Ranch is a leading supplier of garlic, they are also invested in making a positive impact in their community. They have provided scholarships for area schools, vehicles for sports programs, and even donated Chrome Books to each classroom in the local school.
In the past year, Christopher Ranch has ignited change in the political arena. Illegal Chinese garlic imports have been an issue for garlic farmers since the 1990s. Hundreds of millions of pounds of garlic illegally make their way into the US each year, pulling down the price of international commodities. Because of Ken Christopher’s relentless pursuit of action, on September 24th a new tariff for garlic went into effect.
“We find education to be the silver bullet for so many of our society’s ills.” - Ken Christopher
Look for a Christopher Ranch product in a produce aisle near you! FInd information about Christopher Ranch, their products, and delicious recipes at christopherranch.com.
Some Topics we talk about in this episode:
- Introduction // Ken Christopher - 1:17
- Family Owned and Operated - 6:25
- Community Impact - 6:34
- Political Involvement - 10:17
- Unique Garlic Product Offerings - 13:20
- Ken’s Favorite Way to Eat Garlic - 16:38
- Wrap-up - 17:36
How to get involved
- Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week! https://www.facebook.com/groups/316715662104709/
- Reach out to us - we’d love to hear more about where you’re at in life and business! Find out more at www.theproducemom.com
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