Warren Dried Fruit Packing

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Summary
Business

Dried Fruit Packer
Main Location

San Jose
Active

1890's - 1948
Brands

Thistle[1].
Successors

Airline Food
Ryland Street in 1906, showing Warren, Inderriedden, and Rosenberg dried fruit warehouses

Warren Dried Fruit was a San Jose-based independent dried fruit packer, in existence from the 1890's well into the 1940's. The founder was Harry L. Warren[2].

Warren declared himself as "handling a large part of the dried prunes leaving the valley" in 1894[3]. The company was a drop-off location for the California Cured Fruit Association in 1900[4]. By 1915, Warren had stepped down, appearing in the 1915 San Jose City directory as Vice President for Stanley Paint and Wallpaper Company (San Jose) and president of Occidental Gold Mining Co., living in Saratoga. Fred Schneider was the manager for Warren Dried Fruit.

The company was run by Fred A. Schneider Jr. from at least 1911 to 1930. At that time, the company advertised that "Santa Clara prunes were their specialty[5]. The company's plant almost burned during a fire in September, 1915[6]. The company was a collection station for Sunsweet in their first year of operation[7] The company bought not only from local growers, but also growers as far away as Yolo County[8] and Chico[9]. The company was remembered as run by Schneider past 1930[10].

The company was bought by Airline Food in 1948[11].

Locations

Location Years Address Details
San Jose 1893-1950 100 Ryland Street

Building demolished in 1972.

Warren Dried Fruit In San Jose

All records show that Warren Dried Fruit occupied a packing house on the north side of the railroad yards on Ryland Street throughout its existence.

References

  1. Warren Dried Fruit bought by Airline Food. NY Times May 6 1948.
  2. Harry L. Warren. In San Jose City Directory, 1894. Lived at 176 N. 3rd Street.
  3. H.Q. Warren, testimony to congress over prune tariffs. In U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Replies to Tariff Inquiries, Schedule G., Agricultural Products and Provisions.
  4. San Francisco Call
  5. Advertisement, March 13, 1915 California Fruit News.
  6. September San Jose Evening News].
  7. Cot Growers Requested By Association to Cull All Smut: July 21, 1917 San Jose Evening News
  8. Schneider vs. Turner. 10 Cal.2D 771, February 25, 1938. Turner operated a prune orchard in Yolo County, and offered a chattel mortgage to Schneider in exchange for a cash advance for prunes in the 1930 season. The prunes didn't sell for enough, and eventually Schneider foreclosed. The foreclosure didn't get enough money; the question was whether the remainder was still owed, or was cleared up by the foreclosure.
  9. Prune Growers Denied Damages: May 19, 1939 San Jose Evening News. Prune growers in Chico attempted to ship their prunes to Warren in December 1937, but delivery was refused (because of space). The prunes were lost in flooding on December 9, 1937; the lawsuit questioned who was responsible for the lost prunes.
  10. Interview, Vince Nola, 2010. Nola was the son of another packing house owner, and when I mentioned Warren Dried Fruit, immediately recognized it as run by Schneider.
  11. Warren Dried Fruit bought by Airline Food. NY Times May 6 1948.