Gilroy, CA – When Don Christopher started Christopher Ranch in 1956, he didn’t plan on becoming the Garlic King. He was working for his father and uncle growing prunes in South San Jose and Morgan Hill, CA, and just wanted to do his own farming.
The original Christopher Ranch in Gilroy, California, was very rural and Don started with a variety of crops including lima beans, sugar beets and 10 acres of garlic. It made sense to Don to grow garlic because there was a major garlic shipper in town who was always willing to buy fresh garlic for 9 to 10 cents per pound!
Garlic was also a fun crop for Don because it had a nine-month growing season so there was always something to do even in the winter. Every year Don increased the Ranch’s acreage by 5 to 10 acres, and by the 1960’s, he had expanded his garlic business into the fresh market by packing some of his garlic and selling it wholesale. By the 1970’s, Garlic was the main crop of Christopher Ranch and continues to be to this day. Christopher Ranch is still a family owned and operated business headed up by Don’s son, Bill Christopher, and two of Don’s grandsons. Christopher Ranch is the largest fresh garlic grower/packer in the United States, supplying over 70 million pounds of fresh California Garlic across the country.
To learn more about Christopher Ranch California heirloom Garlic and other Christopher Ranch products—“All garlic is not created equal” – visit www.christopherranch.com.
Source: Christopher Ranch
