Limoneira Co. Buys San Joaquin Land

Ventura County’s largest farming company got even larger Monday with the announcement that Santa Paula-based Limoneira Co. has purchased 1,500 acres of prime San Joaquin Valley farmland.

The land was owned by Porterville-based MichaelisRanches and Michaelis Citrus Nursery, which is the second-largest wholesale citrus operation in the industry. The two companies will merge with Limoneira.

Officials did not disclose the purchase price, but Jeff Michaelis, son of company founder Ron Michaelis, said the deal was “well into eight figures.”

Privately owned Limoneira has rapidly expanded in recent years and now owns almost 7,400 acres of agricultural land, mostly in the Santa Clara Valley.

The combined company will have about 600 employees and gross sales exceeding $40 million a year, said Pierre Tada, president and chief executive officer.

The nursery purchase gives Limoneira a toehold in all facets of the citrus industry to complement its established growing, packing and sales operations. In addition, the farmland will enable Limoneira to ship fruit year-round for the first time as it seeks economies of scale in an increasingly competitive industry, Tada said.

Limoneira was established in 1893 and has grown to become a major force in the state’s citrus industry. It has also established a land development company in recent years, building a small housing subdivision in Santa Paula and planning to develop a larger 460-acre tract if the city expands as expected.