California Fresh Fruit Association

What California Fresh Fruit Association does

California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1936 and headquartered in Fresno, California. It serves as the primary public policy organization advocating on behalf of fresh grape, blueberry, and tree fruit growers, shippers, and marketers operating in California, and is recognized as the statewide voice for the table grape and fresh deciduous tree fruit industry on state and federal policy matters. CFFA operates with a lean staff of approximately 7 employees, a Board of Directors drawn from membership, and a Political Action Committee (FruitPAC) that funds contributions to political candidates.

The association's core offerings are organized around advocacy, member services, and curated industry resources. Advocacy is delivered through active engagement in legislative and regulatory proceedings in Sacramento and Washington, DC, with dedicated coverage of issues including water scarcity (notably the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint), food safety (in partnership with George Nikolich Consulting via safefreshfruit.com), labor, and California packaging regulations such as SB 54 and SB 343. Member services include the bi-weekly OnTarget newsletter, the Annual Meeting (currently in its 90th year), the Harvest Event, and endorsed programs spanning retirement planning (Alerus), logistics (C.H. Robinson), crop insurance (Rain and Hail), and property/casualty and workers' compensation insurance (Zenith).

CFFA generates revenue primarily through recurring membership dues paid by growers, shippers, marketers, and associate members, supplemented by event-related fundraising channeled through FruitPAC. There is no technology product, no public pricing schedule, and no parent company; the organization is independently member-governed and California-focused, serving enterprise members such as Giumarra Vineyards, Wonderful Orchards, Wonderful Citrus, Pandol Bros., HMC Farms, Moonlight Companies, Del Mar Farms, Kingsburg Orchards, and Homegrown Organic Farms.

Name

California Fresh Fruit Association

Legal name

California Fresh Fruit Association

Website

https://cafreshfruit.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) is a Fresno-based non-profit trade association, founded in 1936, that advocates for California fresh grape, blueberry, and tree fruit growers, shippers, and marketers on state and federal policy while providing networking, events, and endorsed member services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fresno

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The association generates revenue through membership dues from growers, shippers, marketers, and associate members in the fresh fruit industry. The organization facilitates networking through events and seminars.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

California Fresh Fruit Association is a nonprofit trade association that represents fresh grape, blueberry, and tree fruit growers, shippers, and marketers in California. It delivers its core offering through paid membership tiers (Shipper/Marketer, Grower, Associate, Agency) that grant access to state and federal legislative and regulatory advocacy, industry networking events, the OnTarget newsletter, the FruitPAC political action committee, and a suite of endorsed member benefit programs (insurance, logistics, retirement).

Product overview

California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) is a trade association providing advocacy, membership, and industry resources for fresh grape, blueberry, and tree fruit growers and shippers in California. The organization offers a portfolio of services including legislative advocacy at state and federal levels, a bi-weekly OnTarget newsletter, the FruitPAC political action committee, food safety resources through a strategic partnership, water advocacy resources, annual industry meetings (90th Annual Meeting in 2026), and Harvest Events for networking and fundraising. Member benefits include endorsed retirement services through Alerus, logistics transportation through C.H. Robinson, crop insurance through Rain and Hail, and property/casualty insurance through Zenith. CFFA does not offer a technology product but rather serves as the statewide voice for the California fresh fruit industry on policy issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FruitPAC: The California Fresh Fruit Association's Political Action Committee that raises funds through annual activities for political contributions.
• OnTarget Newsletter

Products and services

• Membership Services Association membership providing networking opportunities, advocacy representation, and access to industry resources for fresh grape, blueberry, and tree fruit growers and shippers in California.
• State and Federal Advocacy Legislative and regulatory advocacy at state and federal levels, serving as a liaison between members and government agencies on policy issues affecting the fresh fruit industry.
• FruitPAC Political Action Committee Political Action Committee that raises funds through annual activities including the Harvest Event, Annual Meeting, and positive check-off program to make contributions to political candidates.
• Annual Meeting Annual industry conference bringing together grower, shipper, and supporting members for networking, industry workshops, and membership meetings.
• Annual Harvest Event Annual fundraising event hosted by FruitPAC featuring fine dining and networking, with proceeds supporting the political action committee.
• Food Safety Resources Strategic partnership with George Nikolich Consulting providing food safety support and resources, including access to safefreshfruit.com website for the fresh fruit industry.
• Endorsed Retirement Program (Alerus) Full-service retirement program with Alerus Retirement Solutions offering 401(k) services, investment reviews, and retirement plan administration for association members.
• Endorsed Logistics Transportation Services (C.H. Robinson) Third-party logistics services through C.H. Robinson providing transportation management for table grape and tree fruit industries with access to 76,000 carriers.
• Endorsed Crop Insurance (Rain and Hail)

Named customers17 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• George Nikolich Consulting, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership entered in March 2022 to provide food safety support to the organization. CFFA sponsored the development of www.safefreshfruit.com website dedicated to food safety issues supporting the California fresh fruit industry in reducing food safety risks.
• Alerus Retirement SolutionsminorOthersFull-service retirement program available to CFFA members. Association's Board of Directors endorsed Alerus since April 1998 for its group 401(k) program after thorough review by CFFA's Insurance & Financial Benefits Committee.
• C.H. Robinson WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership formed in July 2007 to benefit Associate members by assisting in transportation management. Leading third-party logistics provider that taps into a pool of 76,000 carriers of all types.
• Rain and Hail Insurance Service, L.L.C.coreOthersEndorsed by CFFA for 25 consecutive years. Partnership based on top-quality service and dedication to California specialty crops. Works with numerous agencies throughout California.
• Zenith Agribusiness Property & Casualty InsurancecoreOthersEndorsed by CFFA's Board of Directors as property & casualty insurance carrier of choice. California-based company providing best coverage and exceptional service for California agriculture customers. Workers' compensation carrier of choice since 2011.
• California Table Grape CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative relationship with the California Table Grape Commission on industry issues. Both organizations honored Domenick 'Cookie' Bianco with Lifetime Achievement Award.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Western Growers Association: California-based trade association representing fresh produce growers, shippers, and packers across vegetables, berries, and tree fruit. Operates with a similar advocacy and member services model in Sacramento and DC, directly overlapping CFFA's shipper constituency.
• California Citrus Mutual: State-level commodity trade association representing California citrus growers and shippers, headquartered in the same Central Valley ag cluster. Uses the same advocacy + member services + insurance benefits structure as CFFA but focused on citrus.
• United Fresh Produce Association: National trade association for the fresh produce industry, with a very similar advocacy and member services mandate but at the federal level. Competes with CFFA for member dues while complementing it on federal policy issues.
• California Table Grape Commission: State commodity commission for California table grapes — a key CFFA partner — that focuses on research, marketing, and promotion of table grapes. Closely aligned in mission and constituency even though it is a commission, not a voluntary membership association.

Broad incumbents

• American Farm Bureau Federation: National agricultural trade association with state bureau affiliates. Covers a far broader scope than CFFA but is the dominant national voice on cross-cutting ag policy issues that affect CFFA members.
• California Farm Bureau: Statewide agricultural trade association covering all California commodities (not just fresh fruit). Has overlapping advocacy on water, labor, and regulatory issues, but a much broader scope that complements CFFA's commodity-specific mandate.
• Produce Marketing Association: Trade association serving the global produce and floral industries with a broader marketing/supply chain focus. Competitor for certain member services and federal advocacy positioning relative to CFFA.

Regional players

• Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association: State-level produce trade association in Florida representing fruit and vegetable growers and shippers. Operates a near-identical advocacy and member services model to CFFA but serves a different fresh-produce region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CalFreshFruit
• Facebookfacebook.com/CalFreshFruit
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-fresh-fruit-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about California Fresh Fruit Association