Ocean Mist Farms, grower and marketer of fresh artichokes in North America, has announced its Oxnard winter crop artichoke program is in full production,– and the Coachella season is just beginning – providing good volumes to meet customer demand and keep consumers happy through the holiday season and into the new year.

Rick Bravo, VP of sales & marketing, says, “The quality of these artichokes coming out of Oxnard look exceptional and volumes are strong.” Continuing, “After the weather challenges from last year which contributed to a lighter December harvest, this is a great opportunity for retailers to generate some strong year-over-year performance to close out Q4 of 2023.”

According to Ben Wilson, commodity manager for the artichoke leader, “We have the quality and promotable volumes to support customer demand through the holiday season.” 

As it migrates its growing operations in the fall each year, Ocean Mist Farms has four winter growing regions, with their main winter crop operation being Coachella, California. 

Developing the perfect science of what crops are grown when and where as they migrate their ops north to south, ensures the year-round availability of virtually their entire product line. Coachella, however, is a strategic differentiator for this industry giant, the company says.

Related articles: Artichokes to enjoy promotable volumes through May

Ocean Mist’s Coachella VP of production, Jeff Percy, shares “The sandy soil is the real game-changer for us. The higher sand content in the soil makes for lighter material that allows us to work faster and still be able to harvest after heavy rains.” 

Lastly, Percy notes, “We’ve also been using drip and sprinkler irrigation for over twenty years now which means we’re utilizing the ground water more effectively. It also means we can farm virtually every square inch of the fields without the need for water basins.”