Anaheim Valencia Growers Association

Famed attorney, congressman, and Secretary of State Daniel Webster (1782-1852) adorned The Webster Brand of citrus from Anaheim Valencia Growers Assoc. It was likely a sly reference to founder and manager William Webster.

In late 1922, the booming growth of Orange County's citrus industry led to the formation of yet another citrus cooperative: The Anaheim Valencia Growers Association (AVG). By December, organizers William L. Benchly of the Benchly Fruit Co. of Fullerton and William Webster of the California Fruit Growers Supply Co. were trying to sell stock in the new venture. It appears they only convinced one other investor to come aboard -- Fullerton attorney Guss Hagenstein -- as these three men were later listed not only as the company's first board members but also as the only stockholders.

On January 3, 1923, the Anaheim Valencia Growers Association filed incorporation papers with the County Clerk. From the start, AVG was affiliated with the California Fruit Growers Exchange and its fruit would carry the Sunkist brand and benefit from their promotional and distribution prowess. 

As historian Phil Brigandi liked to say, "Sunkist could have taught Disney a thing or two about marketing."

Coordinating with the formation of AVG, the Santa Fe Land Improvement Co. built a new 90-foot by 130-foot packing house along the railroad tracks at 805 E. Center St. (now Lincoln Ave.) in Anahiem. The architect was Frank K. Benchley, and the builder was Dan Coons -- both of Fullerton. The Santa Fe immediately leased the packing house to the new Anaheim Valencia Growers, which began operating in the building on May 28, 1923. Once in operation, William Webster served as the association's manager and L. E. Cameron worked as their field representative.

AVG's brands included Lincoln (fancy), Webster (extra choice), and Robert E. Lee (Red Ball).

Crate labels helped commercial buyers easily spot specific brands and qualities of citrus from across large produce warehouses back East. 

As author Tom Pulley put it, the Association "failed to attract enough acreage to become profitable." So AVG looked for additional revenue streams in an effort to stay afloat. In June 1924, they began promoting their new orange juice and made free samples available in local stores. And in 1925, Orange County Citrus Products began subletting AVG's packing house as their own plant, producing orange, lemon and grapefruit juice, as well as their Golden Orange and Royal Orange drinks, made from "culls."

But the efforts with juice only forestalled the inevitable. In March 1926, the Anaheim Valencia Growers Association closed. They sold their stock, supplies, and lease on their packing house to the Olive Fruit Co. Olive had by then become the largest "cash buying organization" in the area and needed a larger facility to pack the ever-increasing quantities of oranges. 

AVG was dead. 

How dead? 

In 1928, it made an appearance in the delightfully titled Marvyn Scudder Manual of Extinct or Obsolete Companies. 

That's pretty dead.

But at least the organization's name would make a comeback. 

On January 9, 1936, the Anaheim Orange & Lemon Association -- having not handled lemons since 1931 -- finally decided to change its name. It was hard to imagine a more succinctly descriptive replacement than "Anaheim Valencia Growers Associaton." And thus, the old name was rinsed off and recycled. This was an entirely different organization than the original AVG, and with utterly different management (Gerald W. Sandilands was secretary/co-founder/manager), but would similarly find itself expanding into the orange juice business to bolster revenue. 

The "new" Anaheim Valencia Growers Association ceased operations at the end of the 1957 season and closed the following year, as Orange County's golden citrus era drew to a close.

Is it a cooincidence that General Robert E. Lee -- the commander of the losing Confederate States Army -- was used to represent AVG's second-quality "Red Ball" citrus, while their highest quality fruit was represented by The Lincoln Brand?

Many thanks to Tom Pulley and Jane Newell for their help with this article.