Made in the Valley: Gerawan Farming
Summer is here and that means peaches and white nectarines are being harvested across the Central Valley.
There's nothing like a fresh piece of fruit and at Gerawan Farming, stone fruit stretches as far as the eye can see.
"There's are white flesh nectarines. This variety is called majestic pearl," said Nick Boos, Gerawan Farming manager.
Boos said white flesh nectarines are just one of the many varieties Gerawan grows in addition to their peaches and plums. He says it all starts with the seed then three years later fruit begins to blossom.
"We will come through and harvest an individual tree as many as 15 times. So what that does Ensures we're getting the fruit that at its optimal fruit maturity," said Boos.
They prune trees to perfection and hand pick fruit when it's ripe.
"Knowing that someone is enjoying that somewhere, something that we created and helped to build over the course of the year and to see it from the beginning to end is unique and I really enjoy that," said Boos.
The farm started in 1930s by Ray Gerawan. The company has grown from a block of land in Reedley to orchards in Kerman and Sanger.
The fruit is sold under the Prima logo across the Unites States, Canada Mexico and Asia. About 5,000 employees are part of the process, doing everything from picking fruit to packing it.
"On any given day we can pack up to 100,000 boxes a day. When we harvest in our 20 pound bucket at our peak, we'll be harvesting up to 150,000 of those buckets everyday," said Denver Schutz, Gerawan Farming Technical Services Manager.
The company uses technology to track each box and make sure it follows their standards. They say every box has a sweet piece of the Valley to share with the world.
