Rosenberg Brothers

Summary

Business	Dried Fruit Packer
Main Location	San Francisco, CA
Active	1893-1947
Predecessors	H.E. Losse and Company
Successors	Consolidated Grocers, Mayfair Packing, Bonner Packing

Major California-based dried fruit packer. Rosenberg had outposts in the Santa Clara Valley, Oregon, the Sacramento Valley, and San Joaquin Valley. Rosenberg Brothers was started in 1893 by Max, Abraham, and Adolph Rosenberg to pack and ship California fruit to the east. The company survived independently until 1947 when it was bought by a major grocery wholesaler in 1947, and finally went out of business in 1957.

A history of the Rosenberg Foundation notes that the brothers were Californians, born to German immigrants who'd arrived in the 1850's.

Rosenberg Brothers bought some packers, taking over H.E. Losse and Company in 1917.

The "Sunsweet Story" refers to them as "the most successful of the speculative packers", commenting on their business model of buying fruit and hoping it would sell for more when actually sold.

Locations

Location	Years	Address	Details
Edenvale	1922		Receiving station
Fresno	None
Medford	None
San Francisco	1906	211-213 California Street
San Francisco	1912	153 California Street
San Jose	1906	Ryland Street near San Pedro St.	Burned Nov. 10, 1906.
San Jose	1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1915	Sunol Street at Auzerais St.	Northwest corner
Santa Clara	1917, 1927	Railroad Avenue	Shows up in City Directory in 1917.
Talent, Oregon	None
Yuba City	1903

Details

Formed in 1893 to pack and ship dried fruit from California. Packinghouses throughout California and Oregon. Last of three brothers died in 1931. (Max, Abraham, and Adolph Rosenberg)

San Francisco based.

Fire on morning of November 10, 1906 burned packing house on Ryland at San Pedro. George Hyde was the manager. Night watchman was safe, as he'd been at home sick for several nights. ( San Jose Evening News, November 10, 1906 Rosenberg is described as "headquartered in San Francisco with branches in all the leading fruit sections." Several thousand tons of prunes - 50 freight cars worth - burned. Los Angeles Herald from November 11 notes that 11 full cars burned, two warehouses. Fire encouraged by 5000 gallons of crude oil.

1907-8 San Jose city directory lists location as "West San Carlos St. 1 west of Los Gatos Creek."

1911 ad in California Fruit News shows they packed dried fruit and raisins.

Manager in 1915 was H.M. Barngrover.

Fire on August 7, 1915 burned the Sunol Street plant according to the August 7, 1915 San Jose Evening News . It had been located in the Santa Clara Valley Fruit Exchange building, a large brick building with multiple firewalls. Rosenberg was leasing; lost "many dried apricots and some prunes". Loss to the firm at $300,000. Fire started in pile of apricot pits near the tracks. 5000 gallons of fuel oil still burning in the tank at noon the next day. Fire was blamed on IWW, supposedly threats had been made.

Bought H.E. Losse and Company in 1917.

1921: Lawsuit over farmer who did not deliver contracted prunes in March 26, 1921 Pacific Rural Press Primarily canners according to Don Abinante.

Run by Arthur C. Oppenheimer for many years, died 1950. (Sunsweet Story) Referred to in Sunsweet book as "the most successful of the speculative packers" in the late 1920's. I assume the speculative part meant that they were working outside the California Prune and Apricot Growers. Tended to have growers in each area that would sell to them each year, and tended to be against the association.

Bought by Consolidated Grocers Corp., Chicago in December 1947 - Sunsweet Story describes it as "major postwar change in independent packer ownership"

New York Times May 25, 1951 notes that Rosenberg stayed as a separate company but a subsidiary, while USP became part of the canning arm and lost its independent name.

Went out of business in 1957; Mayfair Packing bought the dried fruit and walnut operations, Bonner Packing bought raisins, Trico bought almonds. Company had been dying ever since acquired.

Cannery in San Jose burned on August 26, 1915 by IWW supporter, according to October 2, 1915 Sausalito NEws Rosenberg Foundation history:http://www.rosenbergfound.org/about/history

Notes from Losse biography: http://www.mariposaresearch.net/santaclararesearch/SCBIOS/alosse.html

Edenvale depot according to Santa Clara County history , one mile away from Richmond Chase facility (at station?)

Medford: Spur historically named after Rosenberg Brothers on topoquest.com 211 California Street burned in the earthquake. January 1907 San Francisco Call notes lawsuit over destruction of the building.

Sunol St: (Former Santa Clara Valley Fruit Exchange.) Orrin Harlan manager in 1908. NW corner listed in 1908. Lumberyard was across Sunol Street, Standard Oil across the railroad tracks according to 1915 fire news article in the August 7, 1915 San Jose Evening News . H.M. Barngrover the manager in 1915.

Photo from 

OSU Special Collections Yuba City Seen mentioned in San Francisco Call help wanted ad, July 3 1903. Photo from U.C. Libraries

History of Rosenberg Foundation.

Rosenberg Brothers took over the former California Cured Fruit Association warehouse next to the San Jose depot in 1916. The company had disappeared in 1903.

Rosenberg Foundation history to 1946, with a bit on the company.