At Guardian Harvest, we are all about family. We want to keep the smaller/generational growers in competition with the bigger players. Our goal is to empower smaller families to compete in the industry and be able to pass their family farm onto their children.
By ensuring that growers are using good agricultural practices through Health, Safety, and Sustainability We believe that were meant to be good stewards of the land we’ve been given. We want to help make sure that the mom whose shopping for food for her family at the grocery store is able to have access to safe food for her family, that is grown in a sustainable and responsible way.
Health
Safety
Sustainability
We serve the areas from Ventura to Modesto in California, but we are also willing to go out of state for remote audit work.
Keith Heinrichs was born and raised in Visalia, which is located in the Central Valley of California. He grew up working for growers and developed great relationships with farming families. This translated well when he started to grow his independent Pest Control Advisor business after receiving his PCA License in 1990. His heart has always been for the small, generational grower. This is why he chose to stay independent instead of working for a chemical company. He started moving his clients from a “Just Spray It” mentality, to an Integrated Pest Management program. He promoted less harsh, biorational pesticides and beneficial insects, which not only saved the growers money, but also prepared them for the stiffer regulations at the state and federal levels for pesticides coming down the road.
Keith’s dream has always been to have his own ranch. This came to fruition in 2004 when he purchased a small ranch just outside of Kingsburg, CA where he and his wife, Denise, currently reside. Growing up in the country has been a highlight in the lives of his 5 children, Luke, Jacob, Zachary, Rachel, and Samuel.
Keith and Denise began developing their Food Safety Consulting business when Keith’s clients began asking him about getting a GLOBALG.A.P. IFA certification, or EuropeG.A.P., which was what it was called at the time.
They both took the time to understand the standard for this GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) audit, and built the program from the ground up with forms that translate the ways in which the grower is farming his produce into a system that meets the requirement for the audit standard. Guardian Harvest, Inc. was then incorporated in February of 2006 and they have not looked back since.
Keith and Denise’s heart has always been to help keep the small grower in competition with the industry giants. This is why they began applying the GLOBALG.A.P. Option 2 producer group audit to their clients in addition to independent Option 1 audits, depending on the grower and packer’s needs. They later brought on their oldest son, Luke, after graduating from Fresno Pacific University. Luke has been instrumental in helping move the Guardian Harvest Food Safety Programs to a digital platform and database that will be able to better serve their growers for years to come. Since then, they have added programs based on the grower and packer’s needs such as PrimusGFS in the Packing Facility(GMP) and Field(GAP), CCSW (California Certified Sustainable Winegrowing), FSMA Produce Safety Rule, and also brought on a Worker Safety professional to become a robust, full-service consultancy for their growers. They would not be in this position without their amazing team members who project the heart and vision that Keith and Denise have for their growers. It truly is like working with family.
Our food safety program guides you on standard operating procedures and gives you online forms with all of the information needed to comply with a 3rd party audit.
