The Wonderful Company

The Wonderful Company LLC, formerly known as Roll Global, is a private corporation based in Los Angeles, California. With revenues of over $4 billion,[2] it functions as a holding company for Stewart and Lynda Resnick and as such is a vehicle for their personal investments in a number of businesses. The company currently counts as business divisions the following brands: juice company POM Wonderful, bottled water company FIJI Water, Wonderful Pistachios and Wonderful Almonds, Wonderful Halos, JUSTIN Vineyards and Winery, Landmark Vineyards and Winery, JNSQ Wines, pest control company Suterra, flower delivery service Teleflora, sea freight company Neptune Pacific Line and in-house marketing agency Wonderful Agency.

The Wonderful Company
FormerlyRoll Global
TypePrivate
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California
RevenueUS$4 billion
Number of employees
9,000[1]
Websitewonderful.com

History

As the current incarnation of the Resnicks' holding company, The Wonderful Company has a number of predecessors. The Resnicks first bought Teleflora and API Alarm Systems in 1979, at which time Lynda left her advertising job to become Teleflora's executive vice president of marketing, and eventually president, securing flagship TV sponsorship roles which grew the company into the nation's largest floral wire service.[3] In 1986 they purchased The Franklin Mint, known for making model cars, souvenir plates, figurines, and Civil War-inspired chess sets. Stewart Resnick served as CEO and Chairman of the Franklin Mint Company until its sale to a private equity group in 2006.[4] In 1989 the Resnicks formed Paramount Farms to begin growing and harvesting pistachios and almonds in California's Central Valley. In 1993, the Resnicks renamed the holding company Roll International (later Roll Global) and continued to expand their portfolio of complementary businesses in food and beverages. As of June 1, 2015, Roll Global changed its name to The Wonderful Company.[2]

Brands

As of January 2019, the following brands are among those of The Wonderful Company and its subsidiaries:[5]

POM Wonderful

In 2002 the Resnicks founded POM Wonderful. The company's main product is pomegranate juice, which is sold in a trademark "double-bulb" bottle. The company also packages and sells POM POMS fresh pomegranate arils as well as fresh pomegranates.[6] The company also sells a variety of pomegranate flavored teas.[7] In 2017, POM Wonderful acquired the pomegranate distributor Ruby Fresh.[8]

FIJI Water

The Resnicks acquired the FIJI Water business in 2004, after which Lynda supervised marketing that focused on promoting the uniqueness and exotic nature of the water. According to Resnick's book, sales of Fiji Water soon increased by 300%,[9] and in 2008 it became the largest imported bottled water brand in the US.[10]

Wonderful Halos

In 2013 the Resnicks launched Wonderful Halos mandarins, with a $220 million facility in the San Joaquin Valley capable of processing 19 million mandarins a day.[11] By 2017 Halos was the #1 segment brand, forecast to have around 70-80% market share by 2018.[12] In 2017, Halos accounted for around three-quarters of growth in the mandarin category, and 12% of total produce sales growth.[11]

Wonderful Pistachios and Almonds

Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds is the world’s largest vertically integrated pistachio and almond grower and processor, cultivating and harvesting more than 65,000 acres of pistachio and almond orchards and delivering more than 450 million pounds of nuts globally each year.[13] Known for its Get Crackin’ campaign, Wonderful Pistachios was the US's fastest-growing snack brand and the number 1 tree nut brand in 2018.[14]

Wonderful Sweet Scarletts

A variety of red grapefruit known for its sweetness, The Wonderful Company’s Sweet Scarletts brand has been grown and packed in South Texas since 2014 and distributed to grocery stores nationwide.[15]

JUSTIN Wines

In 2010 the Resnicks purchased Justin Vineyards and Winery, a 50,000 case-production winery in California's Central Coast region founded in 1981.[16] JUSTIN Wines specializes in Bordeaux style varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and was named the 2015 American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.[17][18]

Landmark Wines

Acquired in 2011, Landmark Wines is a Sonoma County vineyard specializing in high-quality Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah. Founded in 1974, Landmark's Overlook Chardonnay has appeared on Wine Spectator's Top 100 list six times.[19][20]

JNSQ Wines

In 2019, the Resnicks launched a female-focused luxury wine brand, JNSQ (named for the French phrase "je ne sais quoi").[21] JNSQ Rosé Cru and JNSQ Sauvignon Blanc made their debut alongside the Fall/Winter 2019 collection from California-born designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte, who brought their show to Los Angeles (instead of New York Fashion Week) on February 5.[22]

Suterra

Using technology from naturally occurring pheromones, Suterra has become the world’s leading provider of biorational products for crop protection and pest control. Founded in 1984, it offers mating disruption products as well as various traps and lures that help protect fields and orchards against different pests.[23]

Teleflora

The Resnicks purchased Teleflora in 1979,[9] at which time Lynda left her advertising job to become the company's executive vice president of marketing and eventually president. In 2019, Teleflora had over 13,000 member florists throughout the U.S. and Canada, with an additional 20,000 affiliated florists outside North America, making it the largest privately held floral wire service in the world.[24][25]

Controversy

The Wonderful Company has been criticised for its aggressive consumption of water in the drought ridden state of California. The company has expanded its business even as California residents have faced water shortages and the water ecosystem has been irreversibly damaged.[26] Residents of the Central Valley, while the target of the company's charitable giving, suffer from an acute water crisis. It is also claimed that the company lobbies to privatise the State's water and funds opposition research on the impact of farming on the drought.[26][27]

Central Valley philanthropy

Since 2010 The Wonderful Company has made significant improvements to the communities that dot California's Central Valley, especially in the city of Lost Hills, where half of the homes have at least one family member working at The Wonderful Company.[28][29] Over the years, the Resnicks and The Wonderful Company have given over $100 million to build two charter schools, and $20 million to create an agriculture-career college prep program for seven public high schools in California's Central Valley.[30]

Forbes noted that between 2010 and 2015 "the company has helped 55,000 students in the region through programs like college prep, scholarships and summer camps. One education program they built and partially funded, which was awarded an $8.5 million grant from the state in June 2015 to help them expand it, gives 200 students a year partial agricultural education and college scholarships to gain technical experience. It will reach 2,000 students in four years."[28]

The Wonderful Company has also been a leader in minimum wage increases. In 2019 the company increased its minimum pay to $15 an hour for all of its California workers, three years ahead of the state-mandated deadline.[31] In 2006 the company introduced the Wonderful Giving Program which has since empowered employees to direct over $37 million in company funds to 7,200 different non-profits.[32] The largest local recipient of donations under the program is Wasco Union High School, which during the 12 years prior to 2018 received more than $210,000, thanks to Wonderful Giving. Lost Hills Elementary School, the program's second-leading recipient, took in $141,000.[33]

In 2016 the US Chamber of Commerce recognized Lynda Resnick and The Wonderful Company with their Corporate Citizenship Award for their work in community improvement.[34]

References
  1. https://www.wonderful.com/press/THE-WONDERFUL-COMPANY-EMERGES-AS-FASTEST-GROWING-CPG-COMPANY.html
  2. "Who We Are". The Wonderful Company. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  3. "History of Roll International Corporation – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  4. "starbulletin.com | Business | /2006/10/18/". archives.starbulletin.com. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  5. http://www.wonderful.com/press/wonderful-company-announcement/
  6. "Hitting the Shelves: A Twist on Energy Drinks -- February 2009". www.preparedfoods.com. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  7. "POM Wonderful – POM Products". pomwonderful.com. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  8. "Pom Wonderful acquires Ruby Fresh". Packer. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  9. Lynda., Resnick (2009). Rubies in the orchard : how to uncover the hidden gems in your business. Wilkinson, Francis. (1st ed.). New York: Doubleday. ISBN 9780385525787. OCLC 231162843.
  10. Walker, Rob (2008-06-01). "Water Proof - Fiji Water - Consumed - Rob Walker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  11. "The big rollout". Fortune. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  12. "U.S.: Wonderful Company sees sky-high growth as strategy pays off". FreshFruitPortal.com. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  13. "Wonderful Pistachios - Healthy Snackin - Get Crackin". www.getcrackin.com. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  14. "What the Fastest-Growing CPG Companies Do Differently". bcg.com. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  15. "Wonderful Sweet Scarletts Make a Sweet Arrival in Stores Nationwide". www.businesswire.com. 2014-11-06. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  16. "Justin Vineyards Sold to Fiji Water". Wine Enthusiast Magazine. 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  17. Winery, JUSTIN Vineyards &. "JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery Named American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  18. "Home - JUSTIN Winery". Justin Vineyards. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  19. "Fiji Water's Owners Buy Sonoma's Landmark Vineyards | News | News & Features | Wine Spectator". WineSpectator.com. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  20. WINE, Editors of FOOD &; Richard, Nalley (2016-10-07). FOOD & WINE 2017 Wine Guide: America's 500 Best Wineries. Time Inc. Books. ISBN 9780848753757.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  21. "Inspired by Musical Films, the Fall 2019 Rodarte Show Draws a Starry Crowd". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  22. Oster|February 14, Erik; 2019. "How The Wonderful Company Created a Wine Brand for Millennial Rosé Lovers in Under a Year". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 2019-03-13.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. Interface, Saxotech (2010-10-25). "Confusing bugs, protecting crops". The Bulletin. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  24. "At Teleflora, AI Helps Tell The Flowers From The Weeds". DMNews.com. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  25. "Flowers | Flower Delivery | Send Flowers Online | Teleflora". www.teleflora.com. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  26. Mother Jones. Mother Jones https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/08/lynda-stewart-resnick-california-water/. Retrieved 16 June 2019. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. Gibler, John. Earth Island Journal http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/magazine/entry/lost_in_the_valley_of_excess/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. Sorvino, Chloe. "Lost Hills Found: A Poor, Farm Community Is Getting Assistance From Agriculture's Power Couple". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  29. [email protected], JOHN COX. "Delano charter school teaches healthy eating habits from the ground up". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  30. "America's Top 50 Givers". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  31. "POM Wonderful will raise its minimum wage to $15 — years before California law demands it". fresnobee. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  32. "Philanthropy program gives Wonderful workers a voice in donations". Southern California Grantmakers. 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  33. [email protected], JOHN COX. "Philanthropy program gives Wonderful workers a voice in donations". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  34. [email protected], HAROLD PIERCE. "Wonderful Company recognized for Lost Hills development". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
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