From Wild Canyons, En Divina Luz Coaxes Delicious Specialty Citrus

A fog driven by coastal breezes creeps over oak trees, dotting the canyons cut by streams, and rolls over the mountain range to En Divina Luz. Rugged and a little bit wild, it’s a stunning location to grow citrus. 

“It’s a special part of Southern California,” owner Sheryl Kunkel remarks. 

Like her father, Sheryl grew up here, and the romance of the place drew her back after completing her Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Sheryl talks casually about her transition from Assistant Professor at UNC to farmer, giving the impression that there’s a chance this powerhouse of a woman did find making the leap effortless. 

Located 10 miles from Temecula and 15 miles from the ocean, the weather around the ranch trends ten degrees cooler and significantly moister than growing conditions in the desert and further inland. The unique climate makes irrigating the 84 acres of citrus and avocado groves that make up the ranch ever so slightly easier than other growers experience. But, it is still Southern California, and heat and aridity are always on Sheryl’s mind. 

“We’ve just had a heatwave, and some dormant trees think it’s April. We’re looking forward to the rain next week,” Sheryl shared. 

The rains, Sheryl notes, used to be more consistent. But with climate change, the ranch has transitioned over its 32 years from expecting precipitation to relying on sprinkler irrigation to meet the needs of their fruit trees. 

Regardless of their irrigation source, you can be sure that any tree at En Divina Luz lives a charmed life from planting to production. 

Sheryl and her team work closely with the nearby University of California Riverside to select varieties that will grow well in their unique climate and produce the best tasting fruit available. These trials take years and demand some experimentation, and devout dedication to only picking fruit at its flavor height. 

“Sheryl is particular about when she will pick fruit,” OGC’s Citrus Buyer, Don Mayfield shares. “If the flavor is not there, Sheryl will wait until it is in peak flavor before she will pick it. There have been more than a few times that I was expecting to load a variety at the ranch only to be told it is not quite ready.”

Don adds, “though the wait is always worth the reward as Sheryl has a tremendous palette for her fruit.”

While the ranch has well-established groves of Cara Caras and Owari Satsumas, they’re always working on cycling in new and exciting varieties, as well. It’s a laborious and slow process, but phenomenal tasting fruit doesn’t happen overnight. 

Most recently, En Divina Luz has started producing organic LS Daisy, Tango, and Shiranui mandarins in addition to their Minneola tangelos, Pixie and Gold Nugget mandarins, Star Ruby grapefruits, and Valentine pummelos. 

“We’re excited about the Shiranuis and looking forward to them being in the mix here very shortly,” says Don.

Not afraid of taking on challenging varieties to produce the best eating experience for consumers, En Divina Luz is one of the few growers that offer seedless Kishu mandarins. 

Kishus present both growing and packing challenges. This mandarin is small, the size of a golf-ball at its largest, with an incredibly thin skin that pulls away from its flesh like a Satsuma. While this variety peels easily, it’s skin is prone to cracking if not handled gently. As a result, En Divina Luz has created special harvesting practices specific to this variety. 

Sheryl explains that Kishus are so delicate that they must be harvested from the tree with cutters versus simply plucked by hand like other varieties. They’re delicate and easily smashed during packing, so they’re harvested into totes and transported in small quantities. Whereas other sturdier mandarins can stand a truck-ride in a bin to a packing house, Kishus demand extra labor to ensure they make it from the tree to the produce aisle intact. 

OGC’s Mike Boyle, Don Mayfield and Tom Lively with Sheryl Kunkel

A phenomenal amount of effort for such a little piece of fruit, but if En Divina Luz has put in the years of effort to figure out how to make the production work, you can trust that it’s worth the labor. 

OGC has worked with En Divina Luz for going on six years now to bring both reliable favorites and more specialized varieties to market. 

Visiting En Divina Luz on a semi-annual basis is a highlight for both OGC coworkers and Sheryl. Both parties are missing the opportunity this year as we continue to social distance. 

“We make you trudge up our mountain when you visit,” Sheryl laughs. A calisthenic experience we’ll be looking forward to in what we hope is the not so distant future. 

In the meantime, OGC will continue to enjoy the opportunity to help our customers discover the exceptional fruit that En Divina Luz has to offer!