It was back in 2012 when Crown Jewels, then known for its success with grapes and melons, started working with pomegranates. In only eight years, the Fresno, CA-based company has become one of the largest shippers of fresh pomegranates in the industry.
Crown Jewels grower-partner Steve Barsoom of Ensher Alexander & Barsoom cultivates approximately 1,000 acres of the finest Early Foothill, Early Wonderful, and Wonderful pomegranates in the world, harvesting from the Mendota, CA region.
“The trio of Early Foothill, Early Wonderful and Wonderful pomegranates allow us to cover the majority of the fall season,” said Stephen Thomason, salesperson for Crown Jewels. “We have a long history of selling both domestically and foreign.”
Having been involved in the category for eight years, Crown Jewels has learned how to be successful, and the secret comes down to quality and consistency in the box.
“This ensures that we continue to get business,” Thomason said. “We know what our customers want and are able to fill all their needs.”
Like most companies, Crown Jewels was impacted by COVID-19, but it has taken proper measures with its employees to make sure that business continues as expected. That includes making sure workers properly social distance from one another and enacting stringent washing guidelines.
With the pomegranates season about to kick in, early projections show the crops to be on pace with what was seen last year, with Thomason noting the crop appears to be average for mid-August, with size increasing weekly. “The overall appearance is clean,” he said. “We’re happy with what we’re seeing.”
Besides dealing with any fallout as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Crown Jewels is facing the challenge of creating and maintaining demand for its products, but good service and experience has helped them ride out any issues.
Things are going well for the company and so Crown Jewels continues to think about growth opportunities in the year ahead. One of its goals is to increase and expand its grower base — something Thomason noted it is well on the way of doing.
Aside from pomegranates, the company is still doing a strong business with grapes, melons and other produce items, such as cucumbers, squash, eggplant, hot peppers, Bell peppers, apples and pears.
Thomason said the company is just looking to continue to navigate the COVID-19 issue and be creative on how to go to market.
