LOS ANGELES – The Wonderful Company, America’s fastest-growing consumer packaged goods company, announced today it is increasing its minimum wage to $15/hour for full-time California employees effective Jan. 1, 2019. This means a 36 percent jump in pay for those making the current state-mandated minimum wage.
“Our dedicated and hard-working employees are our greatest asset, and the reason for our tremendous success as a company,” said Stewart Resnick, chairman and president, The Wonderful Company. “This move firmly positions The Wonderful Company as the employer of choice in California’s Central Valley, and we encourage others in the agriculture industry to follow our lead.”
This increase comes three years before California state law will require all large employers to meet a $15/hour minimum wage, and represents an $80 million investment benefiting workers across Wonderful Citrus, Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds, Wonderful Orchards, Wonderful Nurseries, POM Wonderful, JUSTIN Wines and Landmark Wines.
“This substantial investment in our workers will have an immediate and meaningful impact on their lives,” said Lynda Resnick, vice chair and co-owner, The Wonderful Company. “In addition to providing our Central Valley employees and their families free health care and education, we are now able to help them achieve a significantly improved standard of living.”
About The Wonderful Company
Headquartered in Los Angeles, The Wonderful Company is a privately held $4 billion global company dedicated to harvesting health and happiness around the world through its iconic consumer brands. The company’s 9,000 employees worldwide are committed to bringing consumers everywhere the freshest, most wholesome pistachios, almonds, citrus and pomegranates; bottling the finest water and wines; and creating colorful bouquets that are sure to touch the heart. This commitment is reflected in the company’s market share: Wonderful Pistachios® is America’s No. 1 tree nut brand and America’s fastest-growing snack; Wonderful® Halos® is the No. 1 mandarin orange in America; POM Wonderful is the No. 1 100% pomegranate brand in America; FIJI® Water is America’s No. 1 premium imported bottled water brand; JUSTIN® Wine has the No. 1 Cabernet Sauvignon in California; and Teleflora® is the world’s leading floral delivery service. A 2016 Nielsen study evaluating the familiarity, quality, and momentum of more than 2,500 leading brands revealed that Wonderful Company products dominated the top 10 lists of consumers across all generations, more than any other consumer goods company.
The Wonderful Company’s connection to consumers has health at its heart and giving back in its DNA. The company has a long-standing commitment to corporate social responsibility, including more than $200 million invested in environmental technologies and sustainability research, $50 million in charitable giving and education initiatives every year, $100 million toward the construction of two charter school campuses in California’s Central Valley, and innovative health and wellness programs, including two new, free primary care clinics for employees and their dependents.
To learn more about The Wonderful Company, its products and core values, visit www.wonderful.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
