|
 Robert
DiGiorgio had first been to Borrego in 1939. He, like
Burnand, was scouting areas for early grape production. In 1944, DiGiorgio
founder Joseph DiGiorgio, Robert DiGiorgio and Burnand all traveled from Delano
to Borrego. The DiGiorgio's ended up buying 1200 acres of land from Burnand and
that became the first holdings for the company in the Valley. Table grapes were
the crop DiGiorgio grew in the Valley (others grew tomatoes, alfalfa, cotton and
variety of other fruits and vegetables). The grapes were shipped around the
country - primarily to the New York market. Farming in the Valley was hard and
after a dozen years of trying to make it work, the DiGiorgio Company decided it
was time to stop virtually overnight. The success of Cesar Chavez in unionizing
farm workers would also play a key role to the end of DiGiorgio's farming. When
a strike was called against DiGiorgio's Borrego vineyards, the pumps, necessary
to irrigate the vines, were shut off.
"One of the first results of the strike was the decision to
abandon farming in Borrego. We had farmed Borrego for a number of years, and
of all of those years--thirteen or fourteen years, and the first three or
four years were development years to bring the crops up to production--and
during all of those years, my recollection is that only one year did the
operation show an operating profit . All the other years it showed operating
losses. Basically due to the unfriendliness of the weather to the
development of the grape crop. Too much heat, too much rain, too much wind
with dust. Just a number of things. Low production yields. We just never
could cut the buck. When we got the unionization in Borrego on top of all
the other problems, the decision was made that it's inadvisable to keep on
farming there, particularly since we no longer have any obligation to give
those people a job (the farm workers). They're on their own. Mr. Chavez can
take care of them. So the decision was a very easy one to reach."
4
In 1962, Robert DiGiorgio became President of the DiGiorgio Fruit
Corporation and began taking the company out of farm production, and into
development. Under his leadership the company was renamed the DiGiorgio
Corporation the "Fruit" being dropped as the company diversified. The first
development project was de Anza Country Club in 1955, with DiGiorgio providing
the major financial backing. Its success would set the stage for additional
Valley projects including: Borrego Springs Shopping Center (1965); Roadrunner
Club Golf Course and Mobile Home Park (1966); Rams Hill Country Club (1981) and
Indian Head Ranch (1980's). [In 1975 "Bob" DiGiorgio served as Honorary Mayor of
Borrego Springs.] Robert DiGiorgio stepped down as president of the
DiGiorgio Fruit Corporation in 1982. The last of the Borrego holdings were sold
by DiGiorgio Development Company in 1988.
Photo Credit: Borrego Sun
|
