About CLB Farms, our fresh Hass and Gem avocados and organic avocados

Our part of California has a landscape of conventional and organic avocado farms, citrus groves, and vineyards; located among rolling hills - and a very low population density. So, the cell phone companies haven't installed cell towers here. Since we're in the grove a lot of the time, phones just don't work. We do have satellite based high speed internet, so an email from the Home page "Contact Us" section will get to us when we get back to the office & then we can get back to you.

Unless delayed by weather or unexpected events, we pick farm to table avocados twice a week, on Monday and Wednesday, and we ship either that day or the day after picking. So, if a fresh organic Hass, or conventional Hass or GEM order is placed by 8:00 AM of the picking day, it will be processed on that day. Otherwise, to ensure freshness, it will be processed on the next picking day. Well let you know when it ships.

After picking, the fresh Hass and GEM avocados are cleaned, covered by a foam net jacket for added protection, and packed in a USPS Priority Mail box. To ensure a safe trip the fruit is surrounded by a 100% biodegradable Aspen wood excelsior packing material (makes a great fire starter if you have & use a fireplace like we do). That day or the day after picking the box is delivered to USPS and should be on your table in 1-5 business days. Fruit will be ready to enjoy a few days after that.

The short answer is somewhere between 1 and 2 weeks after they leave the tree. There's a lot of info from web search engines on how to judge avocado ripeness and how to speed that up or slow it down. So, since it all starts with picking, to be sure that you know that we include a packing sheet in the box that tells you when and by whom they were picked, along with a page of ripening info to help you sort out how to get the best enjoyment from our healthy and fresh Hass and GEM fruit.

Our grove is divided into an organic block which is USDA Certified for the organic avocados, where we use only approved fertilizers and soil amendments; and a conventional block using much lower cost conventional equivalents. A key component of both blocks is that no insecticides are applied to the foliage or avocados of any tree. Instead, natural predator insects are used to combat destructive pests. So, our family enjoys fruit from both blocks knowing that no chemical has touched any fruit.

Hass originated in California almost 100 years ago, becoming the worlds' favorite avocado. Among the best of new varieties is the GEM, named in honor of Gray E. Martin who was a key in its birth at UC Riverside. Like Hass, the GEM is Non-GMO and a natural derivative from a trial seedling. It's larger than Hass, has a thick leatherlike skin, somewhat dryer texture, and the same wonderful taste. Basically, its a larger Hass. Our family loves fresh Hass, but prefers GEM.

Commercially, avocados have a complex quality/size grading criteria. At the top is organic and conventional. Under each of those are #1 (no or small defects), #2 (larger defects), and culls. #1's go to stores, #2's to food service, culls are discarded. Then comes size - how many of that size fits in a 25 lb box - bigger numbers smaller fruit. Hass has 8 size categories - 32 ct (12.5 oz) to 96 ct (4.2 oz). A large avocado in a store will likely be a conventional, #1, 48ct (8.3 oz.)

CLB Farms' use of the word "Premium" means fresh Hass and GEM avocados that are correctly formed, have no meaningful defects, and were hand picked and transported to ensure that it is fresh and damage free. Our commercial fruit is typically identified by packers who buy and process it as 89% #1, 9% #2, and 2% culls. Our "Premium" fruit that is selected by us for direct sale (and for gifts to friends & family and to eat at home) is among the top 10% of the #1 fruit.

California, where the earth, plants, and people producing it are treated humanly - at considerable cost. American ag is very efficient, producing nutritious food in great quantity - we're proud to be a part of that. But safely harvesting, processing, and distributing such volumes takes a toll. We bypass the automation with a bit more hard work to hand select the best avocados, clean & pack, and ship them to you within hours of leaving the tree. A difference that you can enjoy at many levels.

We select avocados by quality first (the "Premium" part) then by size, harvesting the largest fruit first to allow the remaining avocados to continues to grow. Conventional is likely to be larger than organic. When there's lots of larger fruit, we harvest some smaller fruit as well to be certain that we have the right mix for each box to be full and at or above weight. We know that shipping can create a small amount of shrinkage, so we over pack a bit. We want you to get what you ordered.

We know what goes into each fresh Hass and GEM avocado shipment and have great confidence in its' quality. If you don't like what you get, let us know by an email at our Home page "Contact Us" section and we will make it right. If you want a replacement shipment, we will send a new box at no cost to you. If you want a refund, we will refund the full purchase price. Were not just selling pieces of fruit, were sharing the experience of having the same wonderful fruit that we enjoy every day of the season here on the farm.