Longtime Family Business To Close In Banning

BANNING, CA — A longtime family-operated and owned produce distribution company in Banning is closing its doors later this year after decades in business.

According to state documents, Green Thumb Produce at 2648 Ramsey Street filed a WARN notice and will permanently shutter on Dec. 1. The WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) filing shows 112 employees are affected by the shutdown.

Patch left a voice message for the company Tuesday.

Yucaipa residents Lonny and Caryn Saverino founded the business in 1991 by selling tomatoes from a horse-drawn cart, according to a 2015 article in the trade publication, The Produce News.

"We worked with one grower in San Clemente, and he connected us with more growers," Caryn told the outlet. "Pretty soon we were selling other items such as zucchini, watermelons, pumpkins, apples and peaches — all from the cart. We sold them from street corners, and then we got a contract with 33 mobile home parks in Yucaipa, which is a retirement community, and we delivered to seniors so they didn't have to go out to the store."

The business expanded, and the husband-and-wife team became known to customers across the region and outside of California.

Caryn told The Produce News that in 1998 the operation relocated to Banning. She recounted the original packing facility was a 40-by-50-foot cooler portion of a local bakery.

The Saverino's modified the building and added on. Working mostly with growers in Mexico and the Golden State, there were highs, lows, and a tragic blow: Lonny died in a Banning motorcycle accident on Dec. 15, 2009. He was 62.

Caryn and her son, Michael Ingalls, along with the Green Thumb team, carried on business at the 78,000-square-foot facility, according to The Produce News.

"It's been quite a challenge," Caryn told the outlet. "But with our fantastic teams and Michael as vice president, we've filled Lon's shoes and made this company the success he wanted it to be."

There was no immediate word on what might move into the Green Thumb Produce location once the company permanently closes.