California Associated Raisin Co.

Stock. Fresno, California. Rare! Once raisins were established as a marketable crop which grew and dried well under the Californian sun, raisin grape-growing areas expanded rapidly in the late 19th century. The earliest successful efforts to form a cooperative business by raisin growers began in 1898. With community support, the California Associated Raisin Company was established in 1912. In 1915, the brand name Sun-Maid, coined by advertising executive E.A. Berg, was launched; and in 1918 the company opened a new facility near downtown Fresno, California. By the early 1920s, the California Associated Raisin Company’s membership comprised 85 percent of the state’s raisin growers. The organization changed its name to Sun-Maid Growers of California in 1922 to identify more closely with its nationally recognized brand. In 1964, further modernization and growth led to the construction of, and move to, a new facility in neighboring Kingsburg. The 640,000-square-foot facility sits on more than 100 acres, and is located 20 miles south of Fresno. To this day, the Kingsburg plant serves as the international headquarters of Sun-Maid Growers of California. (From the History of Sun-Maid)