Established in 1943 as a partnership between a grower, a marketer and a wholesaler, Ballantine Produce was founded to meet the demand for fresh produce at the end of World War II. Today Ballantine is a vertically integrated fresh produce company, focused on growing, packing and marketing premium quality peaches, plums, nectarines, pluots, table grapes, and other seasonal and specialty fruits.  The Company also provides a multitude of agribusiness services to its grower community both domestically and in South America.  Within its fresh fruit categories, Ballantine continues to pioneer the transformation of its customer relationships using innovative Category Management techniques and streamlined distribution logistics to ensure optimum results to all stakeholders in the value chain from farm to consumer.

SamSons Fowler Packing was founded in 1945 by Sam Parnagian, a produce pioneer who developed major advances in fruit handling and variety development. That spirit is still alive at Fowler Packing, which is now one of the largest shippers in the industry, handling over 7 million boxes of tree fruit, grapes and citrus per year. More than half of the fruit is owned and farmed by the Parnagian family, which still plays an active role in the management of Fowler Packing. All to ensure the best eating products for today’s consumers.

Originally named for Albert and Helen Britz (the company’s founders), Britz started with just a single orchard in 1972. Slowly, more fruit tree and citrus ranches were added to the enterprise, as well as a packing operation. In 1984, Britz became SunWest Fruit Company. The name might have changed, but not the commitment to innovation and food safety. Today, SunWest leads the industry in packing efficiency and best practices, integrated farming, harvesting, packing and shipping to deliver a consistently excellent eating experience.