Nectarine pioneer passes

Guest blogger Lance Jungmeyer here ...

Look in the April 23 edition of The Packer for a tribute to a true pioneer in the California tree fruit industry.

LeRoy Giannini, who died April 15 in Kingsburg, Calif., helped popularize the nectarine, one of my favorite fruits. From David Mitchell's story on Giannini's life:

"Giannini, owner of Giannini Packing Corp., Dinuba, was the first chairman of the Reedley-based California Tree Fruit Agreement’s nectarine committee and served in that role for 28 years. He was one of the first growers to plant nectarines in California in the 1950s, sources said.

“He was the guy that had the vision,” said Micky George, president of George Bros. Inc., Sultana, Calif. “He saw the potential for a viable commercial industry.” "

It takes more than vision to see through an unfamiliar product. It also takes guts. Hats off to Giannini, another innovator in a long line of produce industry pioneers.