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 Golden
State Herbs, Inc. is a domestic grower and processor of premium
quality air-dried culinary herbs located in Thermal, California.
The company is a joint venture between two family-owned companies
-Van Drunen Farms and the Vince family of Golden State Herbs.
The
Vince family has farmed in the Coachella Valley since the mid-1950s,
where they began growing vegetables. In 1982, they began growing
herbs on the family acreage. Today, the second, third and fourth
generations of the Vince family - Sam and Carl Vince, Curtis
and Jack Vince, and Tony Griffin (Sam's grandson) respectively,
farm over 500 acres of premium quality culinary herbs.
Sam
Vince, a specialist in the industry, uses his knowledge and
experience on the farm to continually ensure the highest quality
products grown in his field. Sam's son, Curtis Vince, is Vice
President of Operations at Golden State Herbs. He oversees the
entire processing, milling, packaging and shipping operations
at the Indio facility. Curtis is committed to taking Golden
State Herbs to new levels of quality, service and success.
As
a 20-year veteran in the fresh herb industry, Jack Vince is
responsible for sales at Golden State Herbs. He started when
he was just 10 years old, working on the family farm with his
father, Carl. Jack did everything from driving tractors to running
harvest crews. Today, he brings his well-trained expertise to
the field, providing a personal touch to each sales call. The
most recent addition to the Golden State Herbs team is Tony
Griffin, who has taken on the position of Field Manager.
A
new venture
In 2002, Golden State Herbs merged with Van Drunen Farms, a
midwest-based grower and processor of herbs and vegetables.
Van Drunen Farms employs state-of-the-art technology in freeze-drying,
drum-drying, and infusing operations, providing high quality
herb and vegetable ingredients to food product manufacturers.
The merger of the two companies brings together the best of
both California and Midwest herb growing and processing, allowing
us to offer premium quality organic and non-organic domestically
grown air dried herbs to the food industry.
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The
processing plant houses 14 drying tunnels, operating 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week. The plant and the farm is certified by
Quality Assurance International (QAI), in accordance with the
guidelines established by the USDA's National Organic Program,
for processing Organic products. The plant and all commodities
are Certified as Kosher by the Orthodox Union.
Quality
and consistency are key to the operations at Golden State Herbs.
This starts with a single seed. Golden State Herbs produces
their own seed to insure consistent quality. We practice land
rotation of crops, to ensure optimum yields. We plant at 'just
the right time' to ensure the longest harvest season possible,
harvesting when the plants' volatile oils are at the highest
level, the color is the most vibrant and the leaf is the biggest.
All this, done on a daily basis to meet our customers satisfaction.
