This Classic episode of California’s Gold, first aired in 1995, may be titled Olives and Berries; but after watching it I would say it’s really the story of two very different family-run businesses, both of which have been incredibly successful and long-lasting. I was drawn to the story of the olives because at one time, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there were quite a few olive orchards operating in my area — but nowadays there seems to be very little information available about their history. It’s great to see that the Graber family has continued to carry on their olive-growing and -processing business in their own unique way that has lasted for 126 years.

Huell gets a taste of history as he visits two families who have turned their crops into empires. He visits both the olive orchards in the San Joaquin Valley and processing plant of the Graber family in Ontario, where for a century workers have prepared Graber Olives in almost the same way. Huell then travels to Orange County to learn how the world-famous Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park grew out of one woman’s home cooking.

(Click on the linked image below to see the video.)