Tanimura & Antle reflects on 40 years of growth, change

Salinas, Calif.-based Tanimura & Antle is celebrating its 40th anniversary, as well as its milestones over the years.

Nov. 10, 2022, marked four decades since the company’s founding by two families who migrated to the Salinas Valley, according to a news release. The vertically integrated grower-shipper now farms more than 40,000 acres and ships a full line of premium fresh conventional and organic produce products throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

“I am truly amazed each and every day of the dedication, hard work and pride that each employee has for Tanimura & Antle. It is a culture that cannot be purchased and is very difficult to replicate,” Scott Grabau, president and CEO of Tanimura & Antle, said in the release. “40 years of trust between the owners, the employees, the community and industry has been built one box and one year at a time. I am excited for everyone here for this great milestone and thankful for each and every employee that will be part of the next 40 years to come.”

Tanimura & Antle has sought sustainable changes over the years, according to the release. The company highlighted its investments in the future of fresh produce, including farm innovations — such as drip tape, GPS machinery and custom harvest machines — and product development with salad kits, packaging, new seed varieties and building a hydroponics facility.

Related: Tanimura & Antle showcases greenhouse-grown lettuce at foodservice expo

“It's humbling to look back at how far we’ve come as a company and partnership in the last 40 years. Growing up in the company gave me the unique opportunity to experience the early years as a child, being on the farm with my family and the Tanimuras before becoming an employee as soon as I was old enough to do so,” Brian Antle, executive vice president of sales, said in the release. “Growing up during those times and having the opportunity to be a part of shaping Tanimura & Antle into what it is today is something that gives me great pride. 

“What we have accomplished in 40 years is not only a testament to the strong partnership between the Tanimura and Antle families, but also a result of the hard work of so many people,” he continued. “Without the dedication of every single employee at Tanimura & Antle, none of this would be possible and this is truly a day to thank every employee from day one to today for their loyalty, commitment and hard work towards the Tanimura & Antle vision.”

The employee- and family-owned company also continues to invest in agriculture innovations to address industry issues, amid rising input costs, skilled labor shortages and an ongoing focus on sustainability, the release said. Initiatives include:

• the 2014 acquisition of automated transplanting company PlantTape for commercial development, with growers using the system throughout the world for a variety of crops.
• a greenhouse facility in Livingston, Tenn., that grows lettuces with 90% less water.
• becoming one of the only grower-shippers to invest in its own seed supply in the early 2000s when it acquired a local seed company.
• investing in Stout Industrial Technology in 2019 and now using an automated AI-powered weeder throughout its farms, further decreasing the reliance on scarce skilled labor. 
• the 2021 acquisition of Boston-based Green City Growers, an urban farming company that provides communities, organizations and individuals with hands-on experience and education on where their food comes from through local gardens.

Tanimura & Antle has also made advancements in worker relations, such as launching in 2017 an employee stock ownership plan and opening an employee housing complex in 2016 to address a growing labor shortage and housing crisis in the Salinas Valley, according to the release.

“It’s hard to believe it has been 40 years since we started Tanimura & Antle. It is amazing to see what my Uncle George’s idea and vision has evolved to today. The Tanimuras originally started out on the growing side of the business. But once Tanimura & Antle was founded, my brother Keith Tanimura and I had the opportunity to learn about the industry as a whole and it’s been an incredible journey,” Executive Director Gary Tanimura said in the release. “I appreciate all of our dedicated and hardworking employees who have helped us reach this important milestone and 40 year legacy.”