Local Growers
Fresh fruits and vegetables have a personal and distinctive place of origin.
Independent & small scale family farms contribute to our regional abundance and landscape with a wide variety of fresh, peak of season produce.
Check out some of our notable farmer profiles to see who’s growing your food.
Columbine Vineyards
In 1919 Marin Caratan selected the fertile ground of the San Joaquin Valley not only as home, but also as the place where he would pursue his lifelong dream – the growth and propagation of table grapes. From the day he arrived in Kern County, his dream began to grow into the legacy now known as Columbine Vineyards.
Columbine grapes have been produced exclusively by the Caratan family for three generations. Today, Chris and Martin Caratan, Marin’s grandsons, oversee the company operations. To merit the Columbine label, all grape varieties are carefully hand — selected from vines of varying ages at the precise peak of their maturity. All Columbine grapevines are sustained by water-conserving drip irrigation. The grapes are hand-picked and hand-packed by workers that return for the harvest year after year. These workers are trained to select the sweetest and most flavorful berries their vines produce. They take pride in handling the fruit with care from picking to shipping to market in refrigerated containers.
Columbine Vineyards produces 11 varieties of premium table grapes and has 3 exclusive varieties: Black Globe, Holiday Seedless and Majestic. Among the incomparable sweet table grapes grown in California’s southern San Joaquin Valley, no label is more respected than Columbine. Enjoy California Grapes grown by California Grape farmers!
Columbine grapes have been produced exclusively by the Caratan family for three generations. Today, Chris and Martin Caratan, Marin’s grandsons, oversee the company operations. To merit the Columbine label, all grape varieties are carefully hand — selected from vines of varying ages at the precise peak of their maturity. All Columbine grapevines are sustained by water-conserving drip irrigation. The grapes are hand-picked and hand-packed by workers that return for the harvest year after year. These workers are trained to select the sweetest and most flavorful berries their vines produce. They take pride in handling the fruit with care from picking to shipping to market in refrigerated containers.
Columbine Vineyards produces 11 varieties of premium table grapes and has 3 exclusive varieties: Black Globe, Holiday Seedless and Majestic. Among the incomparable sweet table grapes grown in California’s southern San Joaquin Valley, no label is more respected than Columbine. Enjoy California Grapes grown by California Grape farmers!