Giumarra Vineyards Corporation announced today that John Giumarra has been elected President and CEO of the company by the company’s shareholders. Giumarra Vineyards is one of California’s leading producers of California table grapes, one of the largest employers in Kern County, California, and a major breeder of new patented table grape varieties.
Mr. Giumarra stated that “I am honored to hold the position of President and CEO of Giumarra Vineyards and trust that I can do as well in leading the company as my retiring predecessor, Sal Giumarra. My job will be made much easier by an outstanding group of next generation family members who will hold all the major positions in the Company, namely, George Giumarra, Executive Vice President, Randy Giumarra, Vice President of Sales, Jeff Giumarra, Chief Financial Officer, Joe Giumarra, David Stanley, LeRoy Kuntz, Vice Presidents of Field Operations, Mimi Corsaro Dorsey, Vice President of Marketing, and Gina Giumarra McArthur, new Board member.
Mr. Giumarra holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley, a Juris Doctor Law degree from Stanford University, was Book Review Editor of the Stanford Law Review, and attended UCLA’s Graduate School of Business Administration.
Over the years Mr. Giumarra has been very active in produce industry affairs serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the California Grape and Tree Fruit League, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Wine Institute representing almost all of California’s wineries, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the California Table Grape Commission, has served on the Board of Directors of the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association, the Produce Marketing Association and for many years was on the wine tasting panel of the Los Angeles Times newspaper. Mr. Giumarra has also served on the Board of Trustees of the Culinary Institute of America, the premiere culinary teaching institution in the United States, and also served as finance committee chairman of the Institution.
Mr. Giumarra stated, “I am very excited about the company’s future. We will be introducing a number of new table grape varieties in 2015 and will be licensing other table grape growers to produce these new patented varieties. Among the most interesting of the new varieties are: the Arra 29, an early red seedless which we believe will replace the Flame Seedless because of its bright red color, large yield per acre and crunchy sweet flavor; the Arra 16 (“Sweet 16”) is a replacement for late Sugraones and Thompson Seedless, and is an elongated, crunchy white seedless variety; the Arra 30 (“Supreme Seedless”), which is a creamy colored pleasant flavored large white seedless which will compete against the Sugraone; the Arra 28 an easy coloring bright red seedless which is much easier to grow than the Crimson and which will compete directly against the Crimson; the Arra 15 (“Sweeties”) which is an exceptionally large elongated white seedless with extremely high sugar/flavor and maximum crunchiness, producing in mid-August through September and later out of the cold storage; the Arra 27, a large uniformly colored black seedless which is early and prolific. These varieties, and others which are in the developmental stage, will propel the company’s growth in the future and enable it to provide new varieties of table grapes which are high in flavor, are good eating and have the unique taste experiences that retailers and wholesalers are seeking for their customers.”
“The future looks very bright at Giumarra Vineyards,” he concluded.
Through various subsidiaries, Giumarra is one of the largest marketers in the U.S. of peaches, plums and nectarines from California, selling more than two million packages for over 50 California growers. Giumarra is also one of the nation’s largest importers of Chilean fruit, a major importer of Mexican produce and a major exporter of California grapes and tree fruit to the Far East and throughout the world. In total the Giumarra Companies market over 30 million boxes of fresh produce worldwide, including avocados, kiwi, apples, asparagus, tomatoes, pears, melons, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, apricots, grapes, peaches, plums, nectarines, strawberries, and numerous other vegetable and fruit products, and also grows 1000 acres of citrus. In addition, Giumarra Vineyards has bottled Snapple, Arizona, Hansens, Shasta, RockStar and Seagrams beverages as well as “Giumarra Vineyards” labeled varietal and generic wines.
Source: Giumarra Vineyards Corporation
