Crain Walnut Shelling, Inc. (CWS, Inc.) was incorporated in California in September of 1988.  Its primary business is the processing, packing and shipping of English Walnut meats.  The business began in 1982 by Charles R. Crain, Jr. as a division of a much larger business, Crain Orchards, a farming operation which cultivates several thousand acres of English Walnuts.

The Crain's philosophy of self-financed growth has resulted in a well-capitalized structure with low overhead.  This coupled with the high efficiency, state of the art processing and packing facilities, have tended to maximize grower returns and led to rapid growth of the grower base through continued grower satisfaction.

Chuck’s mother and father, Alice Crain and Charles Crain, Sr., along with two of their son's, William and Harold own and operate CR Crain and Sons, Inc., known as Crain Ranch.  Crain Ranch is an extremely advanced inshell walnut processing facility, which also enjoys world-wide brand recognition for its bleached and naturally processed Hartleys.  The combined family operation, Crain Walnut Shelling, Inc. and Crain Ranch, makes up one of the largest processors of English Walnut products in California.

The two businesses compliment each other, as they have the capacity of processing the entire spectrum of walnut products.  Many growers who produce a mix of varieties benefit from this diversity, assuring that their crop will be packed and marketed to its highest potential.  The majority of the current grower base has been delivering to the family operations for many years, and are among the best informed, highest quality, agro-economically educated and environmentally sensitive producers available.

CWS’s customers range from grocery store chains to large regional bakers, bakery supply distributors, candy makers, cereal makers and multi-national food manufacturers.  The company is an approved supplier for many major food manufacturers and bakers in the United States and currently enjoys a “Superior” quality rating in Food Safety/Hygiene from the American Institute of Bakers (AIB).  The staff is happy to provide guided facility tours to interested buyers or quality control personnel.