A RICH HISTORY
The Limoneira Company was founded in Ventura County, California in 1893. Its founders were pioneers of spirit and vision that helped lay the foundations of a thriving California citrus industry. Their dedication and innovation in the agricultural industry helped found and develop many institutions that still exist (Sunkist Growers, Fruit Growers Supply and Diamond Walnut).
The formation of Limoneira Company had its beginnings when Nathan W. Blanchard and Wallace L. Hardison purchased 413 acres of land from J.K. Gries in 1893.
The company was named Limoneira, meaning lemon lands in Portuguese. The primary crops were lemons, Valencia oranges, and walnuts at that time.
Limoneira Company entered the new century with a growing work force and prosperity. The employment of C.C. Teague as the first General Manager in 1901 had a lasting impact on the development and success of the company. Teague’s leadership and innovation set the standards for farming practices. C.C. Teague went on to become Chairman of Sunkist and founded many organizations including Diamond Walnut.
Today, Limoneira is a global agribusiness and seller of citrus to grocery stores and food establishments everywhere. We also have multi-million dollar real estate and resource investments.
Today, with rich agricultural lands and operations throughout California, the company has 14,500 acres in agricultural production of lemons, avocados, oranges, specialty citrus, pistachios, pluots, and cherries. The foresight and innovation of Limoneira’s founders remains strong today with Limoneira’s continuous commitment to new technology and state of the art farming practices. Limoneira continues to lead industry, by setting farming standards and providing solid leadership grounded in years of experience.
In addition to agricultural investments, Limoneira has a long history of community building, and new live-walk-work neighborhoods are close to shovel ready.
Commercial and residential income producing and for-sale properties round out our portfolio.
Finally, investments that integrate directly with our agriculture and real estate business relate to stewardship. Sustainability has been woven into the Company’s fabric for over a century. Strategic investments in water, solar, soil, and IPM (integrated Pest Management) enable us to do well by doing good. We also believe that true sustainability means taking care of the communities in which we operate and taking care of our employees. These are investments that we are truly happy to make.