Richmond-Chase
| Business |
Cannery |
|---|---|
| Main Location |
San Jose |
| Predecessors |
E.N. Richmond Company, |
| Successors |
California Canners and Growers |
Independent canner and dried fruit packer in the Santa Clara Valley, growing from a single plant to the largest independent dried and canned fruit companies in the U.S., and one of California's four largest canners. Sold to California Canners and Growers in the late 1950's.
For background and color, read the July 14, 1919 Evening News Edith Daley article on Richmond-Chase. "Chase Plant Magnificent Says E. Daley". All of Edith's articles are worth reading.
Locations
| Location | Plant # | Years | Address | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edenvale | 1918, 1952 | Saddleback Drive | Current Rancho Santa Teresa mobile home park. | |
| Mountain View | 1930, 1928 | |||
| San Jose | 1918, 1930, 1936, 1950 | 525 Cinnabar Avenue near Autumn | East of Castle Brothers. | |
| San Jose | 1919, 1936, 1947, | 380 Stockton Avenue | (north half), Plant #1 (fruit processing and cold storage, south half). | |
| San Jose | 1927, 1941 | 64 West Santa Clara Street | Offices | |
| San Jose | 1942 | Berryessa Road | Former National Axle. | |
| San Jose | 1945, 1950 | 361 North Fourth Street | Did they take it from Hunts, or just borrow? | |
| Stockton | #7 | 1922, 1933, 1935, 1937, 1941 | Weber and A Street | Address from 1931 Stockton City Directory. Photo of plant. |
Photos
Drawing: Proposed Additional Spur for Richmond Chase
Richmond Chase Plant #7, Stockton, from San Jose State University special collections.
Details
Formed in 1919 from one-year-old E. N. Richmond Company when Elmer Chase joined.
Became the largest independent dried fruit and canning company in the US and one of California's four largest fruit canners.
Richmond's father worked for J. K. Armsby.
1935 summary notes cannery and dried fruit unit in San Jose, dried fruit plant in Edenvale, asparagus cannery at Stockton, several ranches.
1941 advertisement shows dried fruit plants in San Jose and Edenvale, canning plants in San Jose and Stockton, warehouse and receiving facilities at Gilroy, Mountain View, Hollister, and Healdsburg. Brands are R-C specials, Hearts Delight, Pacific Gold, Richmond, Edenvale, Airmail, office downtown. Originators of fruit nectars.
1944 advertisement shows three plants: plant #2 (dried fruit, fruits and vegetables San Jose), Plant #1 (dried fruit, Edenvale), Plant #4 (canned and frozen)
Added frozen food in 1946.
1947 San Jose directory shows office at 817 The Alameda, and plants at 380 Stockton Avenue, and 525 Cinnabar.
Bought by California Canners and Growers in the late 1950's according to ";The Portuguese in San Jose" (Arcadia)
San Jose plant closed in 1982.
Edmund Nutting Richmond bio: http://www.santaclararesearch.net/SCBIOS/enrichmond.html E. N. Richmond was buyer for J. K. Armsby in 1902. George Richmond was manager there.
1919 Western Canner and Packers state that they're building at Cinnabar Street:http://books.google.com/books?id=BxQdAQAAMAAJ&lpg=RA1-PA52&ots=ij4c7jpI7q&dq=%22%20san%20jose%20canning%20company%22&pg=RA1-PA53#v=onepage&q=%22%20san%20jose%20canning%20company%22&f=false
According to Western Canner and Packer in 1918, E. N. Richmond leased the large packing house of Castle Brothers at Cinnabar and Montgomery... capacity of 100 tons a day, 3 stories. Mr. Richmond has also taken over the old Scott plant near Meridian Corners which will serve a two-fold purpose of a receiving and grading station.
"Fire destroyed the landmark Richmond-Chase Company dried fruit plant at Edenvale" in 1952, according to San Jose airport history Probably former Edenvale Packing.
Mountain View references: (Reference , another reference in July 25, 1928 San Jose News The plant is obviously not the Clark Canning or California Supply since both are mentioned in the article.
Office Photo in Richmond Chase company photograph album at San Jose Public Library digital collections Stockton Avenue was 27 acre plant, closed in 1982, disappeared between 1980 and 1987. Now PG&E lot. Picture pg 120 of "Prune County Railroading". Had cold storage warehouse. Cannery requested conveyor bridge across Cinnabar in 1940. Photo of Plant #4 at San Jose Digital Collections Cinnabar Street Former J.Z. Anderson,. 1950 Sanborn map shows Richmond Chase owning the whole block; dried fruit was at the eastern edge in a reinforced concrete three story building with grading on the 3rd floor and bins on the first and second. Sulfur box on 2nd. Cannery on west side. Separate boiler house. California Fruit News of July 12, 1919 suggests that they were first leasing the Castle Brothers plant, and then broke ground on a new plant adjacent.
National Axle: Food packaging plant in old National Axle Company plant at Oakland Highway and Berryessa Road (NE corner, between freeway, oakland road, Berryessa) ( 1942 Stockton enlarged from 1m cases to 1.75 m cases in 1922 according to March 1922 Canning Age.