As with many things in our lives, change is inevitable.
As the owners/operators of a small family farm, Ray and I understand that to stay viable and survive change has to occur. We must walk down a new pathway.
The idea of moving beyond the status quo can be unstettling to say the least and on the other end of the spectrum it is down right scary.
Maintaining a family farm in the state of California is expensive and getting more so all the time. With the current drought, the cost of fuel, fertilizer, spray material, equipment, numerous annual fees mandated by the state and the county, rising insurance rates and the increase in the minimum wage is a constant challenge.
Erickson Ranch over prides itself in providing our customers with the best. Whether it is one of the many varieties of peaches harvested at peak ripeness or u-pick peppers done up just right in the chili roaster our guarentee is to deliver to our customers the best.
Many changes have occurred throughout Suisun Valley over the years and therefore Erickson Ranch and many other farmers have adjusted to those changes. Years ago the valley was full of pears and apricots as well as grapes. The Blenheim Apricot is by far the best tasting cot around. It is quite perishable and therefore they are rarely planted. The Bartlett pear was widely planted but fell out of favor and was supplanted by grapes.
I am happy to say that Erickson Ranch still has some of those delicious traditional Blenheim Apricots which open our season on June 19th as well as the Bartlett Pear that comes later in the season
Grapes have replaced the many fruit trees of the past. As farmers we are happy that another agriculture crop has taken hold in Suisun Valley. The fear of urban development encroaching into the Valley is no longer a threat.
As the importance of a “value added product” has become essential for the small farmer, we also make jams from our fruit or fruit that is sourced from a #1 product.
Over the last 5 years we have distributed our fresh fruit and vegetables to a variety of markets. It has been a slow but successful venture. The best things take a bit of time. “Where Fresh is a Destination” is our logo and it does pay off.
Our jams are sold here at the ranch and several Suisun Valley and Fairfield locations. The feed back has been very positive.
We have determined as a small business we will move in a bit of a different direction. Our concentration will be on delivering more fresh product to our vendors and we will be working on building our jam business. Is this a huge change? Yes it is but change is business and business is change. As we change our focus our days of operation will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 to 6. With business being what business is we must adapt and change to survive. We will continue to provide you with the best we have and the jam tastings will continue each and every weekend. Our customers are not only our friends they are also greatly appreciated by us and we look forward to seeing you all during the season of 2015.
See you and your families at our slow and gentle opening with the Blenheim Apricots on June 19th. Please note that the new contact phone number is 707-290-9161.
From Ray and I to all of you,
Ray and Victoria Erickson