Rosenberg Brothers
| 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 |
Rosenberg Brothers was a major San Francisco-based dried fruit packer. The company was started in 1893 by Max, Abraham, and Adolph Rosenberg to pack and ship California fruit to the east. The brothers were Californians, born to German immigrant parents who had arrived in the 1850's[1]. The "Sunsweet Story" refers to them as "the most successful of the speculative packers"[2], commenting on their business model of buying fruit and hoping it would sell for more when actually sold.
The company had packing houses in the Santa Clara Valley, Oregon, the Sacramento Valley, and San Joaquin Valley, and bought and sold several kinds of dried fruits. A 1911 ad in California Fruit News shows they packed dried fruit and raisins.
The last of the original brothers died in 1931; Arthur C. Oppenheimer ran the company for many years, but died in 1950.[3]. The company survived independently until December 1947 when it was bought by a Consolidated Grocers Corp. of Chicago[4]. Rosenberg stayed as a separate company but a subsidiary of Consolidated Grocers, while United States Products, a San Jose canner, became part of the canning arm and lost its independent name[5].
Rosenberg Brothers finally went out of business in 1957. Mayfair Packing bought the dried fruit and walnut operations, Bonner Packing bought the raisin business, and Trico bought Rosenberg's almond business.
Rosenberg Brothers in San Jose
Rosenberg Brothers had a long-time presence in the San Jose and Santa Clara area. 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.
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.
Cannery in San Jose burned on August 26, 1915 by IWW supporter, according to October 2, 1915 Sausalito News
Rosenberg Brothers took over the former California Cured Fruit Association warehouse] next to the Santa Clara depot in 1916[6].
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.
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
Locations
| Location | Years | Address | Details | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edenvale | 1922 | "One mile away from Richmond Chase plant at Edenvale station"[7] | Receiving station | ||||
| Fresno | None | ||||||
| Medford | None | Medford: Spur historically named after Rosenberg Brothers on topoquest.com | |||||
| San Francisco | 1906 | 211-213 California Street | Burned in 1906 earthquake[8] | ||||
| San Francisco | 1912 | 153 California Street | |||||
| San Francisco | 275 Brannan St. | Warehouse. From History of Rincon Hill. | |||||
| San Jose | 1906 | Ryland Street near San Pedro St. | Burned Nov. 10, 1906. | ||||
| San Jose | 1907 | West San Carlos St.[9] | 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 |
Photos
Rosenberg Brothers packing house, Yuba City. From U.C. Libraries.
Rosenberg Brothers packing house near Medford, Oregon.
References
- ↑ History of the Rosenberg Foundation
- ↑ Robert Couchman, The Sunsweet Story, 1967, Sunsweet Growers
- ↑ The Sunsweet Story
- ↑ Sunsweet Story describes it as "major postwar change in independent packer ownership"
- ↑ New York Times, May 25, 1951
- ↑ Santa Clara city history.
- ↑ Santa Clara County history
- ↑ Lawsuit over building mentioned in January 1907 San Francisco Call .
- ↑ 1907-8 San Jose city directory lists location as "West San Carlos St. 1 west of Los Gatos Creek."