A small and welcoming area, Yuba City, California, boasts an attractive climate, level terrain, and an adequate source of water and soil, which makes agriculture one of the most important industries in the area. Located at the base of Sutter Buttes Yuba City is considered the economic and social hub of the Yuba-Sutter Region. It is also the agricultural apex thanks to the Sunsweet Growers Incorporated launching its international headquarters in the small California city.
Growing together for a century now, Yuba City and Sunsweet, an agricultural marketing cooperative, are the world’s leaders in dried fruit processing and production. The grower-owned cooperative processes nearly 60,000 tons of prunes annually. With such a dedication to quality, commitment to its farmers, and innovative mindset, it’s no wonder Sunsweet has been in business for 100 years. The company’s rich history is intertwined with Yuba City and its agricultural roots.
In 1850, Louis Pellier, a French immigrant and “father” of California prunes, brought the d’Agen Prune tree root from France to California. When it was originally founded, Sunsweet handled 43% of the state’s crop and to this day is the world’s #1 prune brand. The company, originally called California Prune and Apricot Grower Association has had a busy life: from innovating prune juice as a natural remedy to digestive issues to creating the first tenderized, ready-to-eat prunes, the company continues to be the world’s preeminent prune supplier.
The company officially became Sunsweet Growers, Inc. in 1958. The change would allow the company to offer prunes–and its many other dried fruit options like mangos and apricots–to a mainstream market. The year of 1975 would see Sunsweet opening its international headquarters at the Yuba City facility. By 1994, the Yuba City plant was the largest, most sophisticated plum-processing center in the world. The technology improvements that came along in the 21st century saw Sunsweet developing a patent for the Uniform Drying Process, which opened the path toward a prettier, more delicious prune, and launching individually wrapped prunes in 2006. Now, Sunsweet markets the production of nearly 250 grower-members throughout California’s central valley, and the facility produces over 40,000 cases of Sunsweet products every day.
Innovation and a steadfast dedication to improvement has made Sunsweet widely and consistently successful. Yuba City tutors can make progress and improvement a reality for students. Residents are proud to share Yuba City as their home with Sunsweet, so tutoring in Yuba City will prepare the city’s children not only for academic success but set them up for better opportunities.