Longtime farmers buy former Prima Wawona packing houses, expect to employ 1,000+ workers

One of the last pieces of the former Prima Wawona farming dynasty that was shuttered during bankruptcy has been purchased by a joint venture of two longtime tree fruit farmers.

The partnership of Sun Pacific and Moonlight Companies purchased the packing house on Reed Avenue in Sanger for an undisclosed price. And another packing house in Kerman is in escrow and should close in two weeks.

The two packing houses were part of four buildings formerly owned by Prima Wawona, which shut down in March and laid off more than 5,000 employees.

The bankruptcy also forced the sale of more than 13,000 acres of farmland in prime growing regions of Fresno and Tulare counties.

Sun Pacific and Moonlight Companies stepped in and purchased approximately 5,000 acres of the former Prima Wawona land for $91 million, according to court documents. The deal easily makes them the dominant player in the tree fruit industry.

Russ Tavlan, owner of Moonlight Companies, said each of the packing houses will employ about 600 workers. A majority of the leadership for the Reed Avenue plant has already been hired.

“We are in the process of trying to preserve as many of the legacy Prima and Gerawan employees as possible,” Tavlan said. “We want those people to be part of the Moonlight and Sun Pacific team.”

Sun Pacific is known for producing the easy-peeling mandarin known as Cuties. It also sells kiwi fruit, navel oranges, grapes and lemons. Moonlight grows and sells, peaches, plums, nectarines, pomegranates, pluots, table grapes, lemons, kiwis and Cuties.

Prior to the purchase of the two former Prima Wawona packing houses, growers were concerned about having enough packing houses to pack and ship the industry’s fruit. The region is the dominant supplier of peaches, plums and nectarines in the U.S. and exports around the globe.