Santa Clara County Fruit Exchange
| Business |
Dried Fruit Packer, Cooperative |
|---|---|
| Main Location |
San Jose |
| Active |
1892-1916 |
San Jose-based growers cooperative, started by Colonel Philo Hersey. The Santa Clara Valley Fruit Exchange was particularly long-lived, lasting from 1892 to nearly the dawn of the California Prune and Apricot Growers (Sunsweet). The fruit exchange also swallowed up several other co-ops, including the East Side Fruit Growers Union, West Side Fruit Growers Union, Berryessa Fruit Growers Union, and Campbell Farmer's Union Packing Company. According to a history of cooperatives, the Fruit Exchange also banded together with other co-ops to form a common sales agency called the California Fruit Association.
The Fruit Exchange shipped significant amounts of fruit - 140 cars to Philadelphia alone in 1900, according to the Philadelphia Record of December 25, 1900 .
The Fruit Exchange also was memorable for its well-built, fireproof packing house on Sunol Street opposite what later became Del Monte's cannery. The large two-story brick structure, regardless of its fireproof design, burned in 1915 while leased to Rosenberg Brothers.
June 15, 1923 Evening News had article on why exchange failed.
Locations
| Location | Years | Address | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Gatos | None | ||
| Mountain View | None | ||
| San Jose | 1896 | Sunol Street |
60x150 warehouse |
| San Jose | 1896 - 1907 | Sunol Street north of Auzerais Street | |
| Santa Clara | 1900 | ||
| Saratoga | None |
Photos
Details
Grower cooperative.
First cooperative dried fruit marketing association in the Santa Clara Valley. Organized in 1892 according to California State Board of Agriculture report in 1894 . July 16, 1892 Pacific Rural Press mentions the founding of the company, as well as the plans for a two story fireproof building. Run by Col. Philo Hersey. By railroad tracks, photo in Sunshine Fruit and Flowers. Philo Hersey. Took over the smaller cooperative growers according to the Sunsweet Story: West Side Fruit Growers, East Side Fruit Growers, Berryessa, and later the Campbell Fruit Growers Union. Logo was wagon wheel with names of members.
July 19, 1900 San Jose Evening News mentions safe-cracking at Standard Oil, "behind the warehouse of the Santa Clara County Fruit Exchange".
Philadelphia Record of December 25, 1900 says 140 cars/year from Santa Clara County Fruit Exchange go to Philadelphia.
Directors listed in May 3, 1902 San Jose Evening News attending the annual meeting in the warehouse on Sunol Street
include Philo Hersey, C.F. WEyman, Noah G. Rogers, F.H. Babb, C.W. Childs, G.C. Grant, H.A. Bailey, O.H. Shelley, and J.A. Wetmore.
Warehouse burned on August 4, 1915. It had been rented by Rosenberg Brothers.
Disbanded in 1916 because of various problems, including farmers selling outside the co-op according to "Passing Farms" (Jacobson). Sunsweet Story says they didn't require anyone to sell to them, and growers were alternately annoyed when they didn't get paid upon delivery an when organization didn't hold fruit enough to get higher prices.
June 15, 1923 Evening News had article on why exchange failed. San Jose: Sunol Street nr narrow gauge (1900, 1902, 1906) Location was almost certainly the west side of Sunol north of Auzerais.
Santa Clara on San Francisco Call list of California Cured Fruit Association.