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The Willotta Ranch was named after William and Loretta (Lottie) Pierce who owned and operated the ranch in the early 1900's. Their grandson Lewis Pierce III introduced Kiwifruit to the Ranch in 1972 before it became popular or well known. Lewis' daughter, Linda Pierce Wedemeyer inherited the ranch in 1991 and operated it for only two years before she died of cancer leaving the Ranch in trust to her three children. Linda's husband, Austin operates the Ranch today.

The soil and climate here in Northern California seem ideally suited to this exotic and highly nutritious fruit. Originally known as the Chinese Gooseberry, it was cultivated and more fully developed in New Zealand where it continues to be an important export crop. Lew Pierce III traveled to New Zealand in the early '70s to observe cultural practices and to improve his own understanding and production. When he returned to California, he planted the poplar trees which border the vineyard and shelter the vines from the often brisk Suisun Delta breezes in this area. Here at Willotta Ranch, the poplars, now more than forty feet tall, create a quiet and humid "micro climate" in which the kiwifruit vines thrive. We harvest the fruit in November when sugar, pressure and ripening tests ensure they are ready. The fruit is then packed and placed in cold storage for up to six months. When harvested for the commercial market, the fruit is firm and tart and must be ripened until slightly soft to the touch to bring out its full sweet and unique flavor. Since 1996 we have retained a selected block of our best fruit on the vines longer to allow the fruit to "vine-ripen". This "special reserve" fruit is sweeter and will ripen quickly when it is picked. Our local and gift pack patrons really like this "special reserve" fruit.

Kiwifruit ripens at room temperature in a week or two. We recommend you buy kiwifruit in quantities, keeping a few in the refrigerator (dormant) and a few on the counter ripening. To hasten ripening, place a few in a paper bag with an apple. This concentrates the ethylene gas which promotes ripening.

Dress up your deserts and pies with slices of kiwi and liven up your salads with the delightful green color and unique taste of it. Kiwifruit really comes into its own as a quick and healthy snack. Take a couple to work or school in your lunchbox. Just cut in half and scoop it out with a spoon. Or for you hardy souls, wash the fruit and bite right in, skin and all.

According to the California Kiwifruit Commission of Sacramento, CA, "a serving of California Kiwifruit has more dietary fiber than a bowl of bran flakes, twice the vitamin C of an orange and ounce for ounce as much potassium as a banana. It's naturally low in calories and contains no sodium or cholesterol." In 1997, Rutgers University released a study comparing the nutritional value of numerous popular fruits and concluded:

"Kiwifruit is the most nutrient dense of all fruits, followed by papaya, mango, and orange"

The Willotta Ranch Kiwifruit is now registered as an "organic producer" with the State of California (#48-0031). In our application we documented that we have used no pesticides and no herbicides during the past three years. We also documented that only organic fertilizers (primarily bat guano) have been used in our vineyard during the past three years.

Fancy Large Kiwis @	4 / $1.00	10 / $2.00
Fancy Medium Kiwis @	5 / $1.00	12 / $2.00
Wide & Fan-shaped @	6 / $1.00	14 / $2.00
Kiwifruit Jam @	1 / $3.00	2 / $5.00
22lb Box @	$17.50
10lb Box (assorted) @	$7.50
Gift Box (36 Count/Sized) @	$17.95 (Shipped UPS on request)

E-mail your order to: kiwi@willottaranch.com or
Phone us at: (707) 864-0912 or
Fax us at: (707-864-0887

We are now online and waiting for your orders.

Sincerely:

Austin C. Wedemeyer

Willotta Ranch
2423 Rockville Road
Suisun, CA 94585

Map

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The Willotta Ranch	The Kiwifruit Vineyard
Ripening Kiwifruit	Eating Kiwifruit
Nutritional Information	Organic Produce Registration
	Price List