Tanimura & Antle
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Agriculture |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder | George Tanimura, Bob Antle |
| Headquarters | California , United States |
Key people | Scott Grabau (CEO) |
| Products | Conventional and organic fresh produce (lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, green onions) |
| Owner | Tanimura and Antle families |
Tanimura & Antle is a privately held agricultural company based in California that cultivates and markets both conventional and organic fresh produce, including lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, and various other vegetables. Established in 1982, the enterprise remains under the ownership of the Tanimura and Antle families.
History
George Tanimura, born in 1915 in San Juan Bautista, California, started working in his family’s iceberg lettuce fields located in Castroville, California at a young age. After the passing of his father during the Great Depression, he assumed leadership of the family’s agricultural operations. The family lost their farmland during World War II due to internment but managed to rebuild their holdings after the war by acquiring smaller parcels in Gilroy, California. By the late 1940s, they entered into an exclusive partnership with grower-shipper Bud Antle.
Bud Antle, born in 1914, was a lettuce farmer operating under his own brand in the Salinas Valley. Upon his death in 1972, his son Bob Antle took over as CEO and later joined the senior management team at Castle & Cooke (now known as Dole Food Co. Inc.). In 1982, Bob Antle departed from Castle & Cooke to establish Tanimura & Antle alongside George Tanimura and other family members. Both George Tanimura and Bob Antle held positions as co-chairmen. After Bob Antle’s death, his son Rick Antle assumed the role of CEO.
Rick Antle had been President since the company's inception and served as CEO from 2003 until his passing in 2018. He was actively involved with multiple industry organizations such as Salad Time LLC, Earthbound Farm LLC, Ready Pac Produce, Dulcinea Farms LLC, and Pacific Ag Rentals. A graduate of California Polytechnic State University, Rick was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus by its Department of Agriculture. Following his tenure, Scott Grabau was appointed CEO.
Addressing labor shortages on farms, starting in 2015 Tanimura & Antle invested $17 million to develop housing for year-round employees located in Spreckels. The company is also progressing with automation technologies for planting, thinning, and weeding processes to minimize reliance on manual labor.
In February 2017, Tanimura & Antle introduced an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), allowing workers to gain partial equity stakes in the business.
Operations
Tanimura & Antle owns 27,000 acres and cultivates approximately 40,000 acres annually throughout California and Arizona through partnerships with other growers. Additionally, it manages a hydroponic growing facility situated in Tennessee. The company primarily produces salad-related vegetables such as lettuce, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, and green onions.
Library
The Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library at California State University, Monterey Bay—funded by Bob Antle—is a prominent social and academic hub on campus developed from the former Fort Ord military installation.