The Griffith Family and Suntreat

The Griffith Companies began with the ambition of two young men who had little more than a high school education but who knew well how to work.  Like many others of their generation, brothers Harry and John Griffith, raised on a small family farm in West Kansas, aspired to make something from nothing.   Following the dust bowl and while America was climbing out of the Great Depression, by way of freight train they came to California to learn the home building business from their uncle, who was then a successful developer in Los Angeles.  They soon decided to become home builders, literally building with their own hands their first home from the ground up.  With the profit from that home they went on to build many more, and, under the name of Griffith Bros., constructed hundreds of homes in Orange County during the 1950's and 1960's.  At that time, true to the name of the County most all land suitable for development was planted as orange groves.  Being frugal by nature, John and Harry, while holding land to be subdivided for homes, continued to farm it and thereby had their first experience in the citrus industry.

Over time, they returned to their farming roots and utilized profits from home building to acquire groves in the San Joaquin Valley.  With the guidance of Luther Woodall, a legendary figure in California citrus, as they purchased groves, they also came to acquire partial ownership in the Suntreat Packing facility located in Lindsay, California.   At one time, the opportunity presented itself to make a trade of approximately 30 acres of greatly appreciated land in Orange County for approximately 1000 acres in Woodlake.  As continued after their deaths by their sons Dennis and Dwight, the partnership came to acquire in total what is now the approximately 2300 acres of citrus property which makes up Griffith Farms.  At the same time, and over a period of years the Griffith Companies came to acquire the sole ownership of the Suntreat packing facility.  Late in the 1990's, the TreeSource Nursery, was founded by the Griffiths.  With the creative management of Roger Smith, TreeSource has become one of the premier citrus nurseries in California.

With these holdings, the Griffith family has a fully integrated citrus business which is able to control the quality of the fruit from the raising of the trees which are planted on their acreage, through the conduct of modern farming practices to assure that the finest fruit is produced, and to the packing, marketing and sale of that fruit in the U.S. and around the world.  These companies are directed day to day by some of the finest and most experienced men in the California citrus industry and are supported by employees many of whom have been contributing their efforts for decades.  Blessed by the legacy of their fathers and the loyalty of their workforce, Dennis and Dwight proudly continue their family's farming heritage.