Fruit Driers and Packers' Association

Summary

Business	Trade Association
Main Location	San Jose
Active	1890

The Fruit Driers and Packers Association was a trade group started in 1890 by fruit driers in the Santa Clara Valley. The association intended to "bring about some uniformity in buying procedures"; previously, verbal contracts and payment thirty days after delivery. The association encouraged a written contract and uniform grading procedures.

An article in the 1893 Pacific Rural Press notes those grading procedures:

It will be interesting to see what are desirable sizes in fruits and though there may be many different standards for different uses, the following conditions and sizes, adopted two years ago by the Fruit Driers and Packers' Association of the Santa Clara Valley, will serve well enough for present purposes:
Apricots— Extra.—Shall measure not less than 2 1/4 inches in diameter, shall be sound, clean, free from blemish or imperfection. No. I shall measure not less than 2 inches in diameter, shall be sound, clean, free from blemish; No. 2i shall measure not less than 1 1/2 inches in diameter, shall be sound, clean, free from blemish; No. 3 shall measure not less than 1 inch in diameter, and shall be of good merchantable quality.
Cherries— Extra—Shall measure not less than 7/8-inch in diameter, shall be sound, clean, free from blemish or imperfection; No. 1 shall measure not less than 3/4-inch in diameter, shall be sound, clean, free from blemish; No. 2 shall be sound, clean and of good merchantable quality.
Peaches —Extra —Shall measure not less than 2 3/4 inches in diameter, shall be sound, clean, free from blemish or imperfection. No. 1 shall measure not less than 2 1/2 inches in diameter, shall be sound, clean, free from blemish, of uniform ripeness; No. 2 shall measure not less than 2 1/4 inches in diameter, shall be sound, clean, free from blemish; No. 3 shall measure not less than 1 1/2 inches in diameter and be of good merchantable quality.
Bartlett Pears— Extra. —Must be delivered as soon as picked. Shall measure not less than 2 3/4 inches in diameter, shall be sound, clean, free from scab, scale, blemish or imperfection; No. 1 shall measure not less than 2 1/2 inches in diameter, shall be sound, clean, free from scab, scale, blemish or imperfection; No. 2 shall measure not less than 2 1/4 inches in diameter, shall be sound, clean, free from blemish; No. 3 shall measure not less than 2 inches in diameter and be of good mercantable quality.
Prunes —Extra.—Shall number between 15 to 20 per pound, shall be sound, clean, free from stems, blemish or imperfection. No. 1 shall number from 20 to 28 to pound, shall be sound, free from blemish; No. 2 shall number from 28 to 35 to pound, shall be sound, clean, free from blemish; No. 3 shall be uniformly graded, be sound, clean fruit of good merchantable quality.

Initial members were H. J. Haines (president), W. F. Parker (secretary, Noah J. Rogers (Los Gatos Cured Fruit Company), S. R. Cushing (S.R. Cushing Cannery), A. E. Newby, George A. Fleming (George A Fleming Company), L. J. Lathrop, F. R. Shafter, S. A. Moulton (Stillman A. Moulton drying yard), and Frank Buxton (Frank Buxton Dryer).