California Raisins
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What are raisins?
 

Raisins are dried grapes of the Vinifera variety (domesticated grape) such as the Thompson Seedless. The grapes are dried in the sun then washed, cleaned, de-stemmed and sorted. Ensuring a wholesome, natural product is delivered straight to you.

 
Where are California Raisins grown?
 
To grow raisins that are consistently top quality you need to have plenty of sunshine, a long hot growing season and plenty of water. What better place than the San Joaquin Valley. Situated between the Sierra Nevada and costal range mountains, within a 70 mile radius of Fresno in California. The valley is one of the most fertile places on earth. It's sheltered from the wind and rain with temperatures as high as 44°C and irrigated by the pure mountain waters of the Sierra Nevada. 240 miles long
 
 
The life of a California Raisin
 
   
1 In January the vines are pruned to allow canes to grow.
   
2 Buds appear towards Spring.
   
3 During March and early April, the sun draws out tiny grape clusters that grow throughout the Summer.
   
4 By late August, the grapes have ripened.
   
5 They are hand-picked and laid out on clean paper trays between the vines in the baking hot sun.
   
6 During drying the intense heat caramelises the natural sugars in the grapes which gives the raisins their distinctive colour and flavour.
   
7 After 3 weeks, the sun has worked its wonder.
   
8 Then it's off to the factory for sorting.
   
9 Each box is inspected by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) by taking samples from the middle of each box.
   
10 Strict standards must be met to ensure each box of raisins is free of imperfections.
   
11 Next, raisins are processed, which means they go through a series of conveyor belts and drums to remove remaining stems or lower quality fruit.
   
12 The raisins are also sent through a vacuum air stream to catch any other undesirable materials.
   
13 Finally, they're size-graded and thoroughly washed in pure water.
   
14 In preparation for packaging, the raisins are moved through a laser sorter. The sorter's light beams, along with a computer, see if anything besides raisins is passing through the stream. If material other than a raisin is present, a burst of air knocks it out of the stream of raisins.
   
15 Quality control technicians inspect the raisins by hand throughout the packaging process, thus assuring that California Raisins are the cleanest, highest quality in
the world.
   
16 After final inspections, raisins are automatically weighed and packed in a variety of convenient sizes. California Raisins are then shipped around the world for consumers to enjoy.