Our Story

Image courtesy visit-hvar.com

Croatia to California

Our story begins in a small Croatian village, in the former Yugoslavia.

Anxious to flee a poor country where famine and destitution were prevalent, members of the Zaninovich family left the tiny island village of Velo Grablje by steamer ship, and in 1914 arrived in New York. Making their way cross-country to San Francisco, the new immigrants worked in restaurants as busboys, waiters and dishwashers until they saved enough money to join family members in the Central Valley. Together they worked hard and prospered through the difficult economic years of the Depression. 

In 1947, Martin Zaninovich and his first cousin Vincent Zaninovich founded Jasmine Vineyards. Today, Jasmine Vineyards is one of the largest table grape growers in the United States, producing delicious California grapes for the world to enjoy.

 

In the Vineyard

Known as the Napa Valley of fresh table grapes, California’s San Joaquin Valley provides the ideal climate for fresh table grapes to grow.

The temperate spring season nurtures bud break – the most delicate time of growth for our grapes. The California sun and hot, Central Valley heat sweeten our grapes to perfection throughout the summer. During fall, we are busy harvesting while varieties reach peak flavor. Finally, the cool, rainy winters provide the ideal time for our plants to go dormant, and for pruning to begin.

Jasmine Vineyards is busy throughout the grape growing cycle – growing, harvesting and shipping fresh California table grapes all over the world!

Our Programs

Our commitment to producing safe, wholesome, high quality grapes for everyone to enjoy is a family legacy, and we are proud to say it’s stronger than ever. Employee benefits, quality products and minimal environmental impact have been our values for over 70 years.

Food Safety

Our excellent safety record for producing wholesome, high quality grapes is, in large part, credited to our employees.

From Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) to our more comprehensive internal Food Safety Plan, numerous guidelines are established to ensure that our food safety objectives are met, every day.

Want to know more? Read our post on food safety & traceability with our own Luis Katsurayama!

Progressive Farming

We constantly strive to grow our grapes with minimal environmental impact. Our efforts include:

  • Utilization of drip-irrigation to maximize efficiency in water consumption;
  • Reduction of pesticide use with natural enemies to mitigate pests;
  • Investment in state-of-the-art cold storage technology to minimize electricity usage while maintaining peak-season freshness of our grapes;
  • Use of recyclable materials, including our grape bags, clamshells and punnet containers, as well as shipping and packing supplies.

Pictured: Students from California State University, Bakersfield learn about Jasmine Vineyards’ farming practices.

Employee Development

Jasmine Vineyards continues to offer year-round employment, benefits and profit-sharing to all staff and field crew.

Through our corporate partnership with the Central Valley Farmworker Foundation, we support services and programs that enhance the lives of farmworkers. Recent programs included Education the Vineyard, Less Salt, More Health Campaign, Flu Shot Clinic, Register to Vote, Pharmacy at the Vineyards, Food Distribution and more. 

Pictured: Jasmine Vineyards was the proud recipient of CVFF’s 2018 Grower-Partner of the Year Award.

Our Staff

From our family of principle partners to the incredibly hard-working staff and crew who pick, pack and ship our grapes for the world to enjoy, everyone at Jasmine Vineyards plays an important role. Collectively, we ensure that each and every package that carries the Jasmine Vineyards name is healthy, safe and delicious – from field to table.

George A. Zaninovich

George A. Zaninovich

CEO

Damian M. Zaninovich

Damian M. Zaninovich

Vice President

Jon P. Zaninovich

Jon P. Zaninovich

President

Brian Crettol

Brian Crettol

Sales Manager

Sara Diaz

Sara Diaz

Sales & Shipping

Luis Katsurayama

Luis Katsurayama

Food Safety Manager

Jonathan Mills

Jonathan Mills

Cold Storage Manager

Ruby Rosales

Ruby Rosales

Human Resources

Jurgen Gonzales

Jurgen Gonzales

Inventory Control

Karla Camacho

Karla Camacho

Shipping Clerk

Erik Castellanos

Erik Castellanos

Repack Supervisor

Mary De La Cruz

Mary De La Cruz

Accounting Administrator

Julio Gonzalez

Julio Gonzalez

Food Safety Officer

Rosa Altamirano

Rosa Altamirano

Receptionist

Juan Garcia

Juan Garcia

Field Crew Supervisor

Rafael Avalos

Rafael Avalos

Supervisor

Tony Barajas

Tony Barajas

Shipping Supervisor

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