California Canners and Growers
| Business |
Cannery |
|---|---|
| Active |
1958 - 1984 |
| Aliases |
Cal Can |
| Predecessors |
Filice and Perelli, Richmond-Chase, Thornton Canning, San Jose Canning Company, Glorietta Foods |
| Successors |
Tri-Valley Growers |
California Canners and Growers was a large California canner, formed in 1958 from the merger of several smaller canning companies[1]. The founding companies included Filice and Perelli, Richmond-Chase, and San Jose Canning Company. Thornton Canning joined the new company in 1959. "Dale Hollenbeck, president of Thornton Canning Co., said that the sale is in line with the great integration movement currently going on in agriculture, especially in California[2]. Subsidiaries were merged into the parent company on June 1, 1963 according [3]. Richmond-Chase would bring Burnel Richmond as VP, Filice and Perreli, Peter M. Filice; Thornton Cannery, Dale G. Hollenbeck, Schuckl, George Coley. San Jose canning would be separate. They canned 500,000 tons of fruits and vegetables each season. The separate business named were removed in April 1964[4].
Joseph Perelli of Filice and Perelli suggested that the company expanded too quickly:[5]:
We started to negotiate with this group of growers and financial people, I guess, in probably 1957 or so. By June 1, 1958, we completed our negotiations and sold. Practically all the people that were in our organization transferred to California Canners and Growers.
There were other companies. Filice and Perrelli, Richmond Chase were the two basic companies that went with them first. Then they also took in Thornton Canning Company, which was located in Thornton, near Stockton. Then they took over San Jose Canning Company. They did that as months went by and they became pretty large. As a matter of fact, I think they grew too fast. It was a big operation, because they had a number of canneries. They had three canneries with the Filice and Perrelli, and two canneries with Richmond Chase, one with Thornton, one with San Jose Canning Company.
The company did a joint venture with Tri-Valley Growers in 1964 to share can-making costs[6]. The joint venture was called C.T. Supply, with its main office in Fremont, CA. The joint venture later changed its name to Tri-Valley Container Corporation.
In the early 1980's, California Canners and Growers bought some of Libby's canneries. After a rough 1983 season, California Canners and Growers was merged into Tri-Valley Growers. According to one source, "both companies were in trouble and the banks 'tossed a coin' over which company took over the other. All of Cal Can's local plants were shut down and sold off as scrap". Cal Can also got some of Libby's brands at some point.
In 1983, Cal Can declared bankruptcy. They sold the Richmond cannery, and closed the San Jose Canning Company site on Lick Ave[7].
In 1984, the larger Tri-Valley Growers bought Cal Can.
Locations
| Location | Plant Number | Years | Address | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilroy | CCG Plant 1 | Lewis Ave. | Former Filice and Perelli. | |
| Merced | -1983 | Former Filice and Perelli[8]. Mentioned in Thornton Canning purchase article[9]. Cannery closed in 1983 after Cal Can's bankruptcy and because of a poor peach crop[10]. | ||
| Richmond | CCG Plant 5 | 1958-1970 | 1200 Harbor Way | Former Filice and Perelli. Plant manager and night superintendent transferred to San Jose upon closure. |
| San Jose | CCG Plant 2 | 1958-1984 | 1193 Lick Ave.[11] | Former San Jose Canning Company. |
| San Jose | CCG Plant 4 | 1958-1984 | Stockton Ave. | Former Richmond-Chase. Transportation department and parking on west side of Stockton Ave. |
| Stockton | CCG Plant 7 | |||
| Thornton | Former Thornton Canning Company. |
Photos
Photo of CalCan facility north of Diridon Station
References
- ↑ June 6, 1958 Lodi News-Sentinel
- ↑ Cal-Can Buys Thornton Canning. June 12, 1959 Lodi News-Sentinel. Thornton rounded out Cal Can's business, adding additional tomato canning capacity.
- ↑ May 29, 1963 Lodi News
- ↑ 1964 Modesto Bee]
- ↑ Joseph Perelli, The Establishment of the Filice and Perelli Company in Richmond. Oral history.
- ↑ Tri-Valley Growers History, fundinguniverse.com
- ↑ San Jose Mercury News
- ↑ Elmer C. Nelson obituary, Jan 5. 2012. Nelson started at Filice and Perelli which became Cal Can.
- ↑ Cal-Can Buys Thornton Canning. June 12, 1959 Lodi News-Sentinel.
- ↑ Merced Cal Can Workers Idled. July 30, 1983 Lodi News-Sentinel.
- ↑ List of manufacturing businesses in Santa Clara County, Vocational Education memo, 1972.