Who is Bejoca and what’s with that name?

Bejoca Grove and Landscape Management is the family company started by Charley Wolk in 1974. The name concept is easy. Charley’s 3 children, Ben, Josh, and Cathy, were the inspiration.

Charley relocated to Fallbrook while serving in the Marine Corps as a Lt. Colonel. His new home had dozens of avocado trees and he quickly educated himself in the care and farming of the avocado.

This new found responsibility spurred Charley into a brand new business, providing a future opportunity when he retired from the Marine Corp. Charley was tenacious in his endeavor, managing other peoples avocado groves, in his off duty hours. He quickly learned that there was a niche for managing small groves like his, ones the big guys did not want to handle.

Always a good student, Charley submerged himself in all things avocado. He learned how to select strong healthy plant stock, recognize all types of plant disease and pests, how to manage judiciously the precious farm commodity of water, pruning practices, and his marine training made it easy to command a platoon of experienced laborers.

How is Charley a different grove manager?

Charley played a  pivotal role in increasing the sales and the marketing of avocados nationwide.He served as a multiple term Avocado Commission Chairman and headed a nutrition committee for over 20 years that was responsible for educating consumers in the nutritional benefits of avocado consumption.

When importers arrived at our agricultural doorstep, Charley was key in drafting, (and lobbying to get it passed), a Federal Promotion order requiring a monetary assessment on the tonage of avocados coming into the USA from offshore suppliers. The promotion order was crafted to use the assessment money for nationwide marketing, and create a Federal Board to oversee the spending of the funds. Offshore producers could no longer ride on the coat tails of California Marketing Promotions, they would have to start paying their way. Charley was elected to take the helm of the newly formed entity, as the Chairman of the Federal Haas Avocado Board, a responsibility with worldwide implications, and served for 4 years.

What does this have to do with you and your grove, and who you choose as a manager?

The answer is simple: Professionalism, Honesty, and Integrity. These are the words Charley Wolk has lived his life by, worked by, operated his business by and served his country by.

Charley won’t placate you or string things along so he can make more money; he devises the most suitable and economical way of approaching a task as possible. He has his customers best interest at heart. If that means you have to spend more money up front, you can be sure Charley knows, from over 30 years of experience, that it is the best way to go and you will reap the rewards in the end.

When you have a problem, he won’t sugar coat the truth. He’s always honest in his perception of a situation and his opinion of how it can best be remedied. He tells it like it is. His favorite movie line from A Few Good Men is...Jack Nicholson portraying a Marine spouting those memorable words..... “you can’t handle the truth”.

Just ask anyone he worked with on the Public Utility District board or Fallbrook Chamber, when he was president. Some liked him so much they honored him with the Fallbrook Chamber’s Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award for his many contributions to the community.

That’s why you want a professional grove manager; Charley laughs when a realtor asks him to evaluate a grove for a client because at one time or another, over the past 35 years, he has planted, picked, cleared, or stumped most groves in Fallbrook, and known most of the original owners.

There is no substitute for experience. Charley has helped growers through fires, freezes, droughts, heat waves, pests, water restrictions and quarantines....he’s seen it all and done it all.....with dedication and professionalism. He has the success of all avocado growers of California as a concern, but most importantly, his customers profitablity is his first priority. That’s why you need Charley Wolk, as your grove manager.