Difference between revisions of "Guggenhime and Company"

Summary
Business	Dried Fruit Packer
Main Location	San Francisco
Active	1908-1946
Brands	Pansy, Rosedale, Daphne, Carnation Pink, Heliotrope
Successors	Hunt Brothers Packing Company

Revision as of 06:39, 13 November 2013

Guggenhime and Company was a large independent dried fruit packer in California, founded in 1897. Guggenhime had packing houses in the Santa Clara Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento Valley, and Southern California. Guggenhime packed "dried fruit, raisins, nuts, [and] honey"^[1], packing under flower brand names: Pansy, Rosedale, Daphne, Carnation Pink, and Heliotrope^[2] Berthold Guggenhime was the president in 1921, with Bert Katz, vice-president, Lester Lacher, second vice-president, Silas Harris, secretary, and Martin Lemeke, treasurer^[3].

Guggenhime planned a merger with several other dried fruit processors in Castle Brothers, [[Rosenberg Brothers, and Phoenix Packing in 1905, but the deal collapsed under accusations that [Rosenberg Brothers]] used the merger as a ruse to gather competitive information^[4].

Guggenhime was bought by Hunt Brands in April 1946 (Guggenhime Plant Sold: news article Jun 17 1946, San Jose News "Guggenhime Plant Sold: Reports of court injunctions and other measures to halt the sale of Guggenhime & Co to Hunt Foods Inc. had not materialized today when the deed transfering the San Jose real estate was on file with County Recorder Charles A. Payne. The notice of intended sale of all the Guggenhime fruit-processing enterprises had been published a few weeks ago."</ref>, and left the dried fruit business in September 1949.

Guggenhime and Company in San Jose

Guggenhime had two packing houses, side by side, off of Julian Street in San Jose at least during the mid-1930's. John C. Gordon took multiple pictures of the three-story wood and brick plants. More details are available from contemporary lawsuits. A 1936 lawsuit over death in elevator hints at the internal arrangement of the packing house. John J. Whelan, the superintendent, died when crushed between floors; his widow sued the insurance company because his life insurance policy paid double for deaths associated with elevators^[5]. A 1943 advertisement solicited men for the "long" dried fruit packing season^[6].

Locations

Location	Years	Address	Details
College City	1909
Colusa	1909
Fresno	1909, 1930s	Santa Fe Avenue	Plant #4, 8 (Photo: "Pop Laval Foundation":http://www.poplavalfoundation.org/shop/product.php?productid=16853
Hanford	1909
Rucker	1909
San Francisco	1909	Filbert and Sansome St.
San Francisco	1912, 1921	100 California Street
San Jose	1927, 1935	261 Julian Street	Plant #16, 17 Julian Street (Julian and Pleasant Street)
Santa Ana	1909	???
Selma	1909

Photos

Guggenhime and Company Dried Fruit Packing Plant 16 John C. Gordon Collection / San Jose Library

Details

June 17, 1946:

1909 addresses from ad in California Fruit Grower, April 24, 1909

Sign on EBay suggests that company was established in 1897, and the Fresno plant was built in 1916.

References

↑ 1916 California Fruit News advertisement.
↑ California Fruit News
↑ New Officers of Guggenhime & Co: June 1921 Western Canner and Packer
↑ October 6, 1905 San Francisco Call.
↑ lawsuit
↑ "Guggenhime needs men for essential industry / dried fruit packing / long season: "> October 12, 1943 San Jose Evening News

[1] 1916 California Fruit News advertisement.

[2] California Fruit News

[3] New Officers of Guggenhime & Co: June 1921 Western Canner and Packer

[4] October 6, 1905 San Francisco Call.

[5] wsuit

[6] "Guggenhime needs men for essential industry / dried fruit packing / long season: "> October 12, 1943 San Jose Evening News

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 | successors = [[Hunt Brothers Packing Company]]
 }}
-Another of the large California-based independent packers, with packing houses in the Santa Clara Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento Valley, and Southern California.  The earliest mention of Guggenhime I've seen is around 1908, and the company lasted until the company's sale to Hunts in 1946.
+'''Guggenhime and Company''' was a large independent dried fruit packer in California, founded in 1897.  Guggenhime had packing houses in the Santa Clara Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento Valley, and Southern California.  Guggenhime packed "dried fruit, raisins, nuts, [and] honey"<ref>1916 California Fruit News advertisement.</ref>, packing under flower brand names: Pansy, Rosedale, Daphne, Carnation Pink, and Heliotrope<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=IW9RAAAAYAAJ&amp;dq=california%20fruit%20news&amp;pg=PA2#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=fals California Fruit News]</ref>
+Berthold Guggenhime was the president in 1921, with Bert Katz, vice-president, Lester Lacher, second vice-president, Silas Harris, secretary, and Martin Lemeke, treasurer<ref>New Officers of Guggenhime & Co: [http://books.google.com/books?id=cRAdAQAAMAAJ&lpg=RA1-PA57&ots=16e-z5QqAt&dq=berthold%20guggenhime&pg=RA1-PA58#v=onepage&q=berthold%20guggenhime&f=false June 1921 Western Canner and Packer]</ref>.
+Guggenhime planned a merger with several other dried fruit processors in [[Castle Brothers]], [[Rosenberg Brothers, and [[Phoenix Packing]] in 1905, but the deal collapsed under accusations that [Rosenberg Brothers]] used the merger as a ruse to gather competitive information<ref>October 6, 1905 San Francisco Call.</ref>.
+Guggenhime was bought by [[Hunt Brands]] in April 1946 (Guggenhime Plant Sold: [http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1983&amp;dat=19460617&amp;id=bSsiAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=RKQFAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=979,3825671 news article Jun 17 1946, San Jose News] "Guggenhime Plant Sold: Reports of court injunctions and other measures to halt the sale of Guggenhime &amp; Co to Hunt Foods Inc. had not materialized today when the deed transfering the San Jose real estate was on file with County Recorder Charles A. Payne. The notice of intended sale of all the Guggenhime fruit-processing enterprises had been published a few weeks ago."</ref>, and left the dried fruit business in September 1949.
+==Guggenhime and Company in San Jose==
+Guggenhime had two packing houses, side by side, off of Julian Street in San Jose at least during the mid-1930's.  John C. Gordon took multiple pictures of the three-story wood and brick plants.  More details are available from contemporary lawsuits.  A 1936 lawsuit over death in elevator hints at the internal arrangement of the packing house. John J. Whelan, the superintendent, died when crushed between floors; his widow sued the insurance company because his life insurance policy paid double for deaths associated with elevators<ref>[http://www.lawlink.com/research/caselevel3/13700 lawsuit]</ref>. A 1943 advertisement solicited men for the "long" dried fruit packing season<ref>"Guggenhime needs men for essential industry / dried fruit packing / long season: [http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1977&amp;dat=19431012&amp;id=5YMiAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=OaQFAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=3269,864538"&gt; October 12, 1943 San Jose Evening News]</ref>.
 ==Locations==
@@ Line 40: / Line 49: @@
 ==Details==
-ad in California Fruit NEws lists them as "dried fruit, raisins, nuts, honey, proprietors of the famous PANSY BRAND. Packing houses in San Francisco, Fresno, Selma, San Jose, Santa Ana, College City.
-VP: Berthold Guggenhime.
-ad shows flower brands: Pansy, rosedale, daphne, carnation pink, heliotrope. [http://books.google.com/books?id=IW9RAAAAYAAJ&amp;dq=california%20fruit%20news&amp;pg=PA2#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=fals Brands]
-earnings: From WALL STREET JOURNAL San Francisco Bureau, The Wall Street Journal, 173 words
-Aug 5, 1929:
-SAN FRANCISCO Guggenhime &amp; Company, packers, are estimated to have earned a net after depreciation and federal taxes, for the year ended May 31, 1929, of approximately $216,000, or 3.85 times dividend requirements, for 8,000 shares of $7 dividend first preferred issued during last year. These earnings are approximately the amount earned on an average during the past ten years. For the 12 months ended May 31, 1928, net was equal to 4.4 times the present dividend requirements on first preferred.
-lawsuit over death in elevator hints at [http://www.lawlink.com/research/caselevel3/13700 what the elevator was like]
-Wonder if John J. Whelan was related toJohn T. Whieland, a Guggehim foreman who came back from vacation to find his brother-in-law had been selling his stuff? ([http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cdnc/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&amp;cl=search&amp;d=SFC19100622.2.41.21&amp;srpos=17&amp;e=-------en--20--1--txt-IN-guggenhime----# June 22, 1910 San Francisco Call]
-"Oct 12 1943 San Jose News":http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1977&amp;dat=19431012&amp;id=5YMiAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=OaQFAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=3269,864538"&gt;
-ad: "Guggenhime needs men for essential industry dried fruit packing long season. Apply at 261 W. Julian."
-Bought by Hunts in April 1946 ([http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1983&amp;dat=19460617&amp;id=bSsiAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=RKQFAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=979,3825671 news article Jun 17 1946, San Jose News] Got out of the dried fruit business in September 1949.
 June 17, 1946:
-"Guggenhime Plant Sold: Reports of court injunctions and other measures to halt the sale of Guggenhime &amp; Co to Hunt Foods Inc. had not materialized today when the deed transfering the San Jose real estate was on file with County Recorder Charles A. Payne. The notice of intended sale of all the Guggenhime fruit-processing enterprises had been published a few weeks ago."
-"The document filed here conveys the property at Julian and Pleasant Sts. long occupied by the Guggenhime plant. It relates only to the real estate and indicates a purchase price of approximately $130,000."
 addresses from ad in
@@ Line 67: / Line 58: @@
 [http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-ANTIQUE-GUGGENHIME-COMPANY-FACTORY-BUILDING-CAST-IRON-SIGN-non-porcelain-/380768754700?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58a7961c0c Sign on EBay] suggests that company was established in 1897, and the Fresno plant was built in 1916.
+==References==
+<references/>
   [[Category:College City]]
 [[Category:Colusa]]