Sun-Maid Growers of California

Sun-Maid Growers of California, founded in 1912, is an iconic American brand renowned for its premium quality raisins and dried fruits. As a farmer-owned cooperative, Sun-Maid is composed of approximately 850 family farmers who cultivate raisin grapes within a 100-mile radius of the processing plant located in Fresno, California. The cooperative is celebrated for its red packaging featuring the "Sun-Maid Girl," which has become a symbol of the brand's commitment to natural and healthy products. The Sun-Maid raisins are grown in the Central Valley of California, an area famed for its ideal grape-growing climate. The grapes are harvested typically from late August to early September and are sun-dried using traditional methods, either by hand-picking and laying them on paper trays or through a process known as Dried-On-Vine (DOV) for mechanical harvesting. Sun-Maid's product line extends beyond raisins, offering a variety of dried fruits including figs, dates, cranberries, apples, prunes, apricots, and tropical fruits. They also produce specialty items like yogurt-covered raisins and maintain extensive brand licensing and food service operations. The company's reach is global, with products shipped to customers across the United States and in over 60 countries. The cooperative's history is deeply rooted in California's agricultural development. It began with the vision of a group of raisin growers and the guidance of a respected farmer, H.H. Welsh. The brand name "Sun-Maid," coined by an advertiser, E.A. Berg, reflects the natural sun-drying process of the raisins. The company's growth mirrored the expansion of the raisin industry in California, which saw a significant boom with the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, facilitating the transport of raisins to new markets. Today, Sun-Maid stands as the largest producer of raisins in the world, with its output split between packaged raisins for consumer sales and bulk raisins used as ingredients by bakeries and cereal companies. The cooperative produces over 200 million pounds of natural raisins annually, with the Thompson Seedless grape variety being the most popular for raisin production. Sun-Maid's legacy is not only marked by its contribution to the food industry but also by its cultural impact, with the Sun-Maid Girl becoming a recognizable figure in American advertising. The company's commitment to quality and natural processes continues to make it a leader in the dried fruit market, upholding the tradition of delivering wholesome, sun-dried fruits from the farms of California to the world.