Christopher Ranch nurtured its Monviso heirloom seed line for over half a century to preserve its exceptional flavor while other growers chose to adopt higher yielding, less flavorful varieties.  No other grower has maintained such an intensive seed program over the years and Christopher Ranch has never sold its beloved seed to any other farmer, so today, Monviso is the only commercially grown heirloom garlic in the United States.

The Seed Is The Story
Don Christopher and later his son, Bill, were never complacent.  They consistently experimented with garlic seeds from all over the world, discarding each of them when their flavor profile proved to be inferior to Monviso.

Brix analysis confirms that Monviso has a denser concentration of nutrients and minerals than any other variety tested, and Brix is regularly monitored to maintain the flavor standard that has been established.  Because of the continuous selection process that takes place in the field and the heartiness that has developed over time, Monviso garlic has year-round storage capability, retaining its flavor up to 12 months in controlled atmosphere with lower shrink and no reduction in brix.