Graber Olive House: Difference between revisions

The '''''Graber Olive House''''' in [[Ontario, California]], is the original site of the longest operating olive packing business in the United States. The family home, in which the product, designated as ''Graber Olives'', was developed, now [when?] is designated as historic, and the original farm is designated as a historic site. The business was founded in 1894, two years after Clifford C. Graber and his brother, Charles, arrived from [[Clay City, Indiana]].

By 1910, Graber had developed his owna rope-propelled contraptionapparatus for grading the olives by size. At the same time, he began canning them. A decade later, seeking to expandexpanding his operations, he planted his trademark ''Manzanilla'' olive trees in [[Hemet, California|Hemet]] also. In 1934, Graber enlarged his cannery on the Ontario site. Nine years later, their sons, Robert and William, took over the business, although Cliff remained active until his death in 1955 at age 83.

By 1963, Robert ("Bob") Graber, who was born in the wood-frame family home on the Graber Olives property in Ontario, had become sole proprietor of the business. Bob Graber and his wife, Betty, continued to work in the family business along with their son, Cliff, who now livesresiding in the family home. At that time, Bob Graber moved the growing operation to 75 acres of olive groves in the [[San Joaquin Valley]], near [[Porterville, California|Porterville]], where it remains.

It is fromFrom Porterville that the harvested olives are trucked south to Ontario during the harvest season, which lastslasting about two months each fall, for canning.

Once the olives arrive at the Ontario site, the olivesthey are graded by size, then cured in one of 550 concrete vats for three weeks. Water and salt solutions are changed daily. After they are removed from the vats, the olives are fed through a filling wheel, where employees scoop them by hand into aluminum cans running on a conveyor belt.

In a little more than three weeks, Graber Olives progress from tree to can. In a good season, the business processes approximately 150 tons of olives, which they ship to markets, gourmet stores, and customers around the worldglobally, according to Duncan.

In May 2020, the Graber Olive House was featured on a season 19 episode of ''[[Ghost Adventures]]'' <ref>https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/ghost-adventures/photos/ghost-adventures-the-graber-farm-entity</ref> entitled "The Graber Family Farm." Owner Robert Graber hasJr. had his staff and other paranormal investigators have reportedreport paranormal claims of what they all call "The Creeper", a vicious entity, believed to be an [[elemental]] that torments them in the vat room. EmployeesThis whofree camepublicity intoincreased contact with this supernaturalbusiness.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/ghost-adventures/photos/ghost-adventures-the-graber-farm-entity|title=Ghost haveAdventures: diedThe inGraber recentFarm years.Entity}}</ref>

* [httphttps://www.graberolives.com/ Graber Olive House] - official site