History of Pacific Coast Producers
Headquartered in Lodi, California – Pacific Coast Producers was founded
in 1971 out of a responsibility to growers abandoned as canners fled
California in the early 1970’s.
The founding principles of
our cooperative were innovation, fiscal conservatism and the ability to
quickly react to a changing marketplace. Those principles which provided
us with the basis for our early successes are as valid and useful today
as they were at our inception in 1971.
Pacific Coast Producers is
now a thriving enterprise that continues to keep at its core that
original feeling of responsibility to the owner, the grower, and, as a
logical extension, to the customer.
Timeline
| January 1971 | Jim Moser meets with Paul Rea and Bob Collins in San Jose to discuss the formation of a cooperative. The Pacific Coast Producers Committee is formed. |
| February 1971 | The Committee changes it name to the U.S. Producers Board of Directors. Paul Rea is elected President. |
| March 16, 1971 | Moser, Collins, Rea and Avedian fly to Chicago for a meeting with Libby, McNeill & Libby about the Purchase of their California canneries. |
| March 17, 1971 | The group meets with Stokely in Indianapolis and a tentative agreement over three Stokely plants, Oroville, Lodi and Santa Cruz is discussed. |
| April 22, 1971 | Pacific Coast Producers board votes to incorporate. |
| June 1971 | PCP produces a small test processing season under a copacking arrangement with Stokely. Corporate office located in Paul Rea’s garage. |
| Summer 1972 | PCP’s first solo pack is run. Corporate office moves to Duane Avenue in Santa Clara. |
| January 2, 1976 | PCP buys the Can Manufacturing Division and Consolidated Warehouse in Lodi. |
| 1976 | Fire destroys portion of Lodi Plant warehouse. |
| November 1978 | Western Pacific Railroad train derails and crashes into Oroville Cannery. |
| 1979 | Ag-Mor formed. San Jose plant purchased. |
| February 1980 | Larry Clay joins company as Controller. |
| January 1974 | PCP closes San Jose plant. |
| March 1987 | Larry Clay promoted to President/CEO. |
| May 8, 1989 | California Custom Foods (CCF) is incorporated. |
| October 15, 1989 | Santa Cruz Plant’s last processing day, facility closes. |
| July 1, 1990 | Snack Pack Partners, a partnership between CCF and Ardmona of Australia, is formed. |
| June 1991 | Corporate office moves to Lodi. |
| July 1, 1992 | PCP enters into an alliance with Del Monte Corporation. |
| June 30, 1995 | Under orders of the Federal Trade Commission, PCP-Del Monte Alliance officially dissolves. |
| December 31, 1995 | Snack Pack Partners dissolves. |
| June 15, 1996 | PCP enters the Foodservice arena as a result of the PCP/Del Monte break-up. |
| July 2001 | PCP purchased Del Monte Woodland Plant. |
| May 15, 2002 | Daniel L. Vincent is named to succeed President Clay in May 2004. |
| July 15, 2002 | PCP begins production of tomatoes at its Woodland Plant. |
| July 15, 2002 | PCP’s Oroville Facility begins production of snack bowls for store brand products. |
| March 2003 | PCP enters Purchase Agreement for the Lodi Can Plant with Silgan Containers Manufacturing Corporation. |
| April 20, 2004 | President Clay tenders his resignation as President/CEO and Director at Large, effective May 31, 2004. |
| April 20, 2004 | Board of Directors appoint Daniel L. Vincent as President/CEO and Director at Large, effective May 31, 2004. |
