Do you know that every prune is a plum but not every plum is a prune?
The Mariani Family, of Vacaville, California, has made it their mission to help prunes make a comeback! America’s Heartland takes us along to learn more about the folks behind the Mariani Family Fruit Company.
The family began their journey in agriculture back in the 1900s when the family’s patriarch, Paul Mariani, immigrated to the United States from Croatia. According to the family’s website, he worked for $1 a day until he saved up enough money to move from New York City to California and start his own fruit farm.
Over the years, he found great success developing new technology for drying fruit.
“He realized that adding a little moisture back into dried fruit created a much softer and more enjoyable experience,” the family said. “So he packed his rehydrated dried fruit into ready-to-eat packages, with clear windows because he believed in quality people could see.”
The most common plum variety used to produce Mariani’s prunes are the d’agen plum. Its trees grow approximately 4,000-6,000 pieces of fruit each.
