Giumarra Bros. sues grower over exclusive white nectarine rights
Thousands of visitors have flocked to Cesar Mora’s farm in Reedley, California, this week to gather free nectarines as the third-generation farmer gives away his harvest rather than watch it rot while locked in a legal battle with Giumarra Brothers Fruit Co., according to the Associated Press.
Mora has shared more than 100,000 pounds (45,359 kilograms) of white nectarines since Monday, the AP reported.
“It was really just a thought of not wasting a perfectly good product,” Mora told the AP. “It does make a grower feel good, being able to share my fruit with people and see their immediate reaction that they love it. It’s a little bit of good in this tough situation that I’ve been dealing with.”
Since 2023, Giumarra Brothers has been pursuing a lawsuit against Mora in California’s Central Valley, alleging that the variety of white nectarine he grows is covered by exclusive rights the company holds. The case highlights the tension that can emerge between farmers and the plant breeders and large industrial food marketers that create new varieties of plants and obtain the exclusive rights to sell them, according to the AP.