We Know Our Sources: Anthony Vineyards’ Premium California Grapes

For the Bianco family, now second and third generation California growers, grape growing is so much more than just a job; it’s a passion. Since the very beginning, and still true today, the Bianco’s have never strived to make Anthony Vineyards the biggest, but simply aimed to be the very best.

Anthony A. Bianco, an 18-year-old Italian immigrant, got his start in the produce business on the streets of New York City, buying and selling fresh produce from a push cart. In just a few short years his business grew into a successful marketing and distribution company on the New York Produce market. The inventive and entrepreneurial spirit that drove Anthony in the early days of his career prompted him to move his wife and 8 children to Fresno, California to be closer to the fruit that he would sell on the East Coast.

Mr. Bianco would grow his business into a nationally recognized leader in premium quality produce. After his passing in 1967, Anthony’s four sons carried their father’s legacy forward by founding Anthony Vineyards with 160 acres of premium grapes.

With Anthony’s sons Domenick and Robert at the helm, the second and third generations of the Bianco family lead Anthony Vineyards today and into the future with over 6,500 acres of top quality grapes in Bakersfield & Coachella California. To keep up with growing demand, Anthony Vineyards added more than 300 acres of organic grapes in 2002 and adopted a commitment to growing organically. A continued dedication to family and quality is what ranks Anthony Vineyards’ grapes among the best available.

Anthony Vineyards’ grape vines begin either as saplings or as grafts, spliced to the base of more mature plants with surgical precision. After 3 years, they are replanted in rows but it takes 5 years before the pampered vines are ready to produce grapes worthy of the Anthony Vineyards name. The attention to detail is so great at Anthony Vineyards that their grapes can be traced back to the vineyard, field and individual row that they came from.

With grape season off to a roaring start, look for the fabulous varieties of Anthony Vineyards’ grapes at your local Heinen’s Grocery Store. Anthony Vineyards’ grapes are available in both conventional and organic varieties, but no matter which you choose or when you choose them, they’re sure to be the very best grapes of the season.

By Heinen's Produce Department

In 1929, Joe Heinen opened the doors of a small butcher shop on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio, aiming to establish himself as the city’s purveyor of quality meats. As customers came into Heinen’s new shop for their meat purchases, they began asking him to carry groceries as well. Joe added homemade peanut butter, pickles and donuts and by 1933, business had grown enough to include a line of produce and canned goods. Heinen’s Grocery Store was born.