Difference between revisions of "M. J. Fontana and Company"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
(Remove summary header) |
|||
| Line 13: | Line 13: | ||
|- | |- | ||
|} | |} | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
==Details== | ==Details== | ||
Early San Francisco canner. Originally fruit broker and shipper, but started his own cannery in 1880. Company was sold to California Fruit Canners' Association in 1899, and Fontana became general superintendent. Also director of Italian-American Bank, California Wine Association, president of Italian Swiss Colony, director and chairman of board of [[California Packing Corporation]], "successor to the California Fruit Canners' Association". Died October 19, 1922. | Early San Francisco canner. Originally fruit broker and shipper, but started his own cannery in 1880. Company was sold to California Fruit Canners' Association in 1899, and Fontana became general superintendent. Also director of Italian-American Bank, California Wine Association, president of Italian Swiss Colony, director and chairman of board of [[California Packing Corporation]], "successor to the California Fruit Canners' Association". Died October 19, 1922. | ||
| + | |||
| + | From ''From Italy to San Francisco: The Immigrant Experience'' by Dino Cinel (Stanford University Press, 1982) | ||
| + | |||
| + | :[Marco] Fontana, the son of a marble cutter, was born in Cerisola, near Genoa, in 1849. In 1860, his family migrated to New York; in 1867 he left New York alone, and tried his luck in the mines of California. Quickly disillusioned, he moved to San Francisco where he worked as a clerk for [[A. Galli and Company]], a fruit commission house. In the early 1870's he bought the G. Ginocchio firm, a commission house, and a few months later he tried fruit growing with another Italian, but both ventures failed. Fontana's early career evolved within the boundaries of the Genoese group. | ||
| + | |||
| + | :But he was more daring than most his fellow commissioners. Fontana realized that the local market was limited, and that the largest markets were the cities of the East. Shipping fresh produce was expensive, however; and besides, it was necessary to provide Eastern cities even during the winter months. Canning was the solution. An apparently insurmountable obstacle to competing in the national market was the need for large capital, which was not available within Italian regional groups. Fontana, with his own limited resources and with help from the [[Compagnia Garibaldina]]<ref>The ''Compagnia Garibaldina'' was an immigrant's mutual aid society, with a large hall on the 400 block of Broadway. Several of these societies. including Compagnia Garibaldina, affected Italian army uniforms, and and had weekly military drills: "The members of Compagnia Garibaldina would parade down Broadway in their redshirts, reminiscent of Garibaldi soldiers."</ref> moved into canning twice, and failed both times. Finally, in 1891, two non-Italians, L. S. Goldstein, a financier with strong banking connections, and William Fries, an entrepreneur, provided the capital for the establishment of M. J, Fontana and Company. | ||
[http://www.rodhandeland.com/SFWaterfront/FishermanPier39.htm rodhandeland.com suggests] Del Monte's San Francisco Plant #1 was originally set up for Fontana. | [http://www.rodhandeland.com/SFWaterfront/FishermanPier39.htm rodhandeland.com suggests] Del Monte's San Francisco Plant #1 was originally set up for Fontana. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | ==References== | ||
| + | <references/> | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
[[Category:San Francisco]] | [[Category:San Francisco]] | ||
[[Category:Cannery]] | [[Category:Cannery]] | ||
Revision as of 14:38, 24 January 2014
| Business |
Cannery |
|---|---|
| Main Location |
San Francisco |
| Active |
1880 - 1899 |
Locations
| Location | Years | Address | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 1880-1899? |
Details
Early San Francisco canner. Originally fruit broker and shipper, but started his own cannery in 1880. Company was sold to California Fruit Canners' Association in 1899, and Fontana became general superintendent. Also director of Italian-American Bank, California Wine Association, president of Italian Swiss Colony, director and chairman of board of California Packing Corporation, "successor to the California Fruit Canners' Association". Died October 19, 1922.
From From Italy to San Francisco: The Immigrant Experience by Dino Cinel (Stanford University Press, 1982)
- [Marco] Fontana, the son of a marble cutter, was born in Cerisola, near Genoa, in 1849. In 1860, his family migrated to New York; in 1867 he left New York alone, and tried his luck in the mines of California. Quickly disillusioned, he moved to San Francisco where he worked as a clerk for A. Galli and Company, a fruit commission house. In the early 1870's he bought the G. Ginocchio firm, a commission house, and a few months later he tried fruit growing with another Italian, but both ventures failed. Fontana's early career evolved within the boundaries of the Genoese group.
- But he was more daring than most his fellow commissioners. Fontana realized that the local market was limited, and that the largest markets were the cities of the East. Shipping fresh produce was expensive, however; and besides, it was necessary to provide Eastern cities even during the winter months. Canning was the solution. An apparently insurmountable obstacle to competing in the national market was the need for large capital, which was not available within Italian regional groups. Fontana, with his own limited resources and with help from the Compagnia Garibaldina[1] moved into canning twice, and failed both times. Finally, in 1891, two non-Italians, L. S. Goldstein, a financier with strong banking connections, and William Fries, an entrepreneur, provided the capital for the establishment of M. J, Fontana and Company.
rodhandeland.com suggests Del Monte's San Francisco Plant #1 was originally set up for Fontana.
References
- ↑ The Compagnia Garibaldina was an immigrant's mutual aid society, with a large hall on the 400 block of Broadway. Several of these societies. including Compagnia Garibaldina, affected Italian army uniforms, and and had weekly military drills: "The members of Compagnia Garibaldina would parade down Broadway in their redshirts, reminiscent of Garibaldi soldiers."