History of Prunes in the Santa Clara Valley

This page documents important events in the history of the dried fruit industry in the Santa Clara Valley.

1850 high prices.

1858 market glutted by oversupply of fruit.

1859 John Ballou ships 130 lb of French prunes from San Jose to San Francisco.

1867 Ballou,saelling only locally til now, exports 500 lb of prunes to east coast by ship.

1868 slump in apples and pears because of overproduction. Apricot growing begins in response.

1869 transcontinental railway opens new markets.

1869 500 acres of prunes in California, much in Santa Clara county..

1880 5400 acres of prunes in California.

1880 in last 10 years, imports of prunes from Europe to US grew from 14 million pounds to 45 million pounds.

1890 15090 acres of prunes in California, 6175 in Santa Clara County.

1897 California prunes displace French prunes from the market. Partially production, partially tariff raising from 0.5cents per pound to 2 cents. Prune production: 1885: 3.1m. 1886: 4.3m. 1887: 7.5m 1888: 8.05m. 1889 17.15m. 1890 16.2m.

1900 [California Cured Fruit Association] tries to tie up 75% of crop. They get sign-ons, but much fruit sold outside of the organization.

1900 crop in Europe is huge, and California fruit can’t be sold there. Huge crop in California means that 47% of California Cured Fruit Association’s crop is still in warehouses in June 1901.

1901: In November, A&C Ham buys the leftover stock from the California Cured Fruit Association.

1902 Expansion of packing houses in San Jose according to the August 23, 1902 San Francisco Call.

1905 Philo Hersey comments on effect of prune prices on growers, land prices. San Jose Evening News, December 20, 1905.

1906 San Francisco earthquake destroyed many plants, congestion of incoming rail cars. Crop initially estimated at 165 million pounds reaches 185 million pounds, prices dropped from expected 3.5c/lb to2 c a pound.

1907 Sulfur controversy restricts California prune exports to France. State of Pennsylvania bars cured fruit preserved with sulfur. After government action, no restrictions made on 1908 crops.

1907: highest prices ever received for dried fruit up to that time

1908: most unsatisfactory prices

1909: appeared to be another low-price year.

1912: Butte County growers created the “Chico Pool” to keep prices high. They held out too long and didn’t compromise when packers met their price, and failed to sell that year, and finally had to sell out lower.

1913: Largest single sale of prunes: Mineral King Fruit Company sells 750 tons of 1912 crop, 450 tons of 1913 crop to J. K. Armsby.

1915: Cupertino growers learn that speculative packers who’d been insisting on buying the crop at 3c/lb before harvest had actually sold significant amounts short at 3.5 c/lb. Growers spread the news to hurt the speculators.

1916: Courts finally determine that forcing members to sell to association is legal.

1916: Field prices in 1916 about 25% higher than a year earlier- 13c/lb dried apricots, 5.75-6c for dried peaches, 5.5 cents/pound for prunes.

1917: U.S. Government reserves large quantities of dried fruit for military. 1916 and 1917 crops quickly sold at “prices that were most acceptable for growers.”

1917: Largest prune crop ever produced. Sunsweet set its prices moderately, angering independent packers who’d already paid more.

1918: Two-thirds of prune crop destroyed by heavy rains at the peak of drying season. Many growers lost their entire crop. CPGA decided not to sell sub-grade, damaged fruit. Mechanical dehydration increasingly becomes popular; August 1922 Western Canner and Packer still remarking on losses four years earlier.

1919: Bumper crop, bumper prices. Prices were high, orchard land prices quadrupled.

1920: Prices plummet in September and October for all foodstuffs. CPGA hurt badly by prices, wholesalers stop buying speculatively, forcing risk on packers. Risk moved back to packers and growers, and packers needed to operate the packing houses throughout the year. Prices end up low at 4c/lb, half of what the association paid out in August requiring some growers to pay back significant amounts.

1921: Germany starts buying again in early summer, and last of 1920 crop goes quickly.

1922: January 1922 Canning Age says that sales are very slow, with no speculative interest and few buying for more than immediate needs. Everyone wondering how Genoa conference (on rebuilding eastern europe) will affect things. Long editorial on European problems, nothing available to buy in Germany.

1922: February 1922 Canning Age: “Probably all who are interested in tomatoes as a cannery crop would agree that the tomato industry has been sick.” Problems are varieties grown, grading, marketing.

1922: Sunsweet refuses to set prices for prunes in August 1922 because of uncertainty with multiple strikes. Appears in August 1922 Western Canner and Packer.

1922: 95% of dried peaches are from California. June 1922 Western Canner and Packer.

1922: July 1922 Western Canner and Packer cites large numbers for dried fruit, and talks about differences in what different countries are buying.

1922: December 1922 Western Canner and Packer notes buyers pushing for concessions from smaller canners in price.

1922: December 1922 Western Canner and Packer notes that freight cars are still scarce, and some canned goods are going by ship.

1923: January 1923 Western Canner and Packer notes cost for shipment by SP: West Coast ports to New York via Sunset Route to Galveston and SP Steamship lines: canned goods 70c/100 lbs (down from 1.05), dried fruit 80c (down from 1.25), dried fruit in sacks $1.00 (down from 1.45)

1923: February 1923 Western Canner and Packer summarizes the 1922 crop. PRevious page notes the reduction of canned and dried fruit going by rail, losing out to steamships. Tomato paste broke all records, and outdid the bumper year of 1919.

1923: April 1923: German businesses dumping bumper crop Yugoslav prunes in UK kill business there; association had 40m pounds of prunes left over from crop of 1922. (Sunsweet book)

1923 crop: came in at 335m pounds, instead of 255m. By July 1924, association still had 40m pounds in storage. (Sunsweet book). Oregon growers were dumping prunes at 5c/pound while association was still selling at 10.5c.

1925 crop: 146,000 tons. Grower prices drop from 12c in 1924 to 7c in 1925.

1926: Crop was 150,000 tons. Prices fall to 6c for growers. Industry-wide fund to market prunes.

1926: April:25,000 tons of prunes unsold on west coast. CP&AG sold the unsold prunes to a pool of the four largest packers: CalPak, Guggenhime, Richmond Chase, Rosenberg. Warren Hyde explains it as quick returns for growers.

1926: California Prune Producers set up as grower’s organization to create a producer monopoly. Intent was to get 90% of prune acreage under two year contract. Organization fails by August 1927, prices immediately weakened.

1927: Crop was 225,000 tons, prices for growers drop to 3c lb.

1927: Evening News June 24 1927 hopes California Prune Producers works. Sunsweet hasn’t controlled more than 50% of prunes for years.

1928: Packers think that Sunsweet will go under when growers do not renew in 1928.

1928: Proprietary packers sold 1928 crop prunes at 2.5c without actually contract for fruit. When O.A. Harlan took over, he declared a price of 4c/lb and said that CP&GA would no longer sell at convenient price to the packers. Independent packers lost several million dollars. (Wonder if related to Hyde collapse?)

1929: Prune prices high - 10c pound

1930: By May, prices dropped back to 5c, by July 3.25c.

1931: Prune Growers Pool attempted, limit production to 35,000 tons. Major packers cooperating. Plan dropped.

1928 on: Packers still upset by 1928 coup, worked hard to get growers to withdraw.

1932 Another attempt at Prune Pool. They get enough growers, but can’t keep off-grade prunes off the market.

Overall Prune Acreage and Production

Year	Acres, Santa Clara County	Acres, California	Tons Produced
| 500 | |
1880	|