Talk:M. J. Fontana and Company

from A. Cavalli & Co.'s website

At first, all fruits and vegetable were sold (usually by Ligurians) on the street out of their horse-drawn carts or wagons. In 1874, the Colombo Market was created, a public market that occupied a whole, roofed block and contained stalls which were rented for $9 a month. The wagons of the contadini (farmers) would arrive about 3 am and the produce would be unloaded and displayed by 4 am for the buyers: grocers, restaurateurs, hotel keepers, ship's stewards and housewives.

The canning industry evolved from the Colombo Market as a way to preserve fruits and vegetables, and since Italians dominated California agriculture, they were at the forefront of the canning industry as well. In 1889, Marco J. Fontana from Genoa founded the California Fruit Packing Corporation which became the largest fruit and vegetable processing company in the world. From this, he would go on to form the Marca del Monte brand which later became known as the Del Monte Foods Corporation. The canning industry eventually grew to the point where California was exporting to Italy while Italy was exporting to California.