Campbell Fruit Growers Union

Summary

Business	Dried Fruit Packer,Cooperative
Main Location	Campbell
Active	1892 - 1913
Predecessors	Frank Buxton Dryer
Successors	George E. Hyde & Company

Receiving office, Campbell Fruit Growers Union. From "Sunshine, Fruit, and Flowers"

The Campbell Fruit Growers Union was a Campbell-based grower's cooperative founded in 1892. The co-op bought the existing Frank Buxton Dryer in July 1892. The union supposedly joined the Santa Clara County Fruit Exchange and was part of the California Fruit Association, a sales agency backed by the Fruit Exchange. In 1902, Captain J.H. Hamilton was its first president. and S. G. Redeck secretary.

September 4, 1895 San Francisco Call notes a hundred tons of prunes a day are arriving at the dryer. The September 13, 1906 Pacific Rural Press: "San Jose Herald, August 29: The Fruit Growers' Union is a very busy place just now. About 75 tons of prunes are being handled daily, besides the peaches and pears, which require about 40 pitters to prepare for drying. A big shipping business has been done this year. Fifteen hundred tons of peaches were shipped green by the Union as well as 350 tons of apricots and a quantity of pears. A few days ago three cars of pears were shipped in by outside canneries, necessitating an increased force of women and girls."

The co-operative slowly lost the support of its growers; growers were willing to sell to the co-op when prices were good, but went looking for the best deal when prices were low. The co-op eventually leased, then sold out to George E. Hyde & Company.

Locations

Location	Years	Address	Details
Campbell	1892-1909	Central Ave.	Listed in Sunsweet book's list of 1900 packing houses and San Francisco Call list of collection sites for California Cured Fruit Association.

Photos

Alice Iola O'Hare photograph of Campbell packing house looks like it might be an interior shot (or might be Central Santa Clara Fruit Company) (The Sunsweet Story sets the photo in the California Cured Fruit Association packing house.