Customer Story

Cobblestone Fruit enjoys rapid growth thanks to smart planning, innovation and an experienced lender.

Family businesses are the backbone of American agriculture. But navigating the business from one generation to the next in a volatile ag environment is rarely simple. For the family behind Kings River Packing, a legacy citrus operation outside of Fresno in California’s Central Valley, the solution wasn’t just about handing over the keys—it was about embracing new ideas and innovative technologies. Turning that vision into reality required a strong financial partner who understands the unique rhythms of the citrus industry, a role AgWest Farm Credit was proud to fill.

For almost 50 years, David Hines and his extended family have operated Kings River Packing as a single operation, growing, packing (for themselves and other growers), marketing and selling fruit to major retail customers in the U.S. and abroad. As the family has grown over the years, so has the business. By 2022, the original Kings River Packing facility was at capacity, which led to an essential, bold decision to expand.

Through strategic succession planning, the family separated the sales and marketing arm from the packing business. The new structure allowed them to keep family unified on the marketing side while creating opportunities for the next generation to expand operations and asset ownership under the Kings River umbrella. David’s nephew acquired a packing facility, and his son Bobby (age 36) and son-in-law Scott Riddle (age 40) took the lead in building Cobblestone Fruit, a state-of-the-art packing facility designed to meet modern demands.

Bobby and Scott toured 65 different packing operations around the U.S. and abroad across multiple commodities, looking for technology that would increase efficiency. Their goal was to adapt the high-tech grading often found in delicate commodities, like apples, to the high-speed demands of California citrus.

The result is one of the most modern and automated citrus packing houses in California. In fact, Cobblestone Fruit was a testing site for advanced AI technology specifically designed for the citrus industry. The facility’s technology has increased labor efficiency and improved safety and service levels for growers and customers alike.

Building a facility of this type from the ground up was a major financial undertaking, proudly financed by AgWest and the Farm Credit System. But before the doors even opened, Cobblestone’s plan to annually process 2.5 million to 3 million cartons quickly ballooned to more than 8 million cartons as grower and customer interest surged. That’s when Bobby called AgWest Relationship Manager Chad Frazier.

“I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I made the call,” says Bobby. “I explained to Chad that we needed to double equipment because we had so much interest already, and I asked if AgWest had the ability to help.” While traditional lenders may have balked at doubling down on a facility that hadn’t yet opened or shown a profit, Chad and the AgWest team understand industry dynamics.

“We know the citrus industry is fast-moving and competitive,” says Chad. “Bobby and Scott had incredible foresight when they built this facility for efficiency and growth. With AgWest’s strong capital position, we were able to support the expansion quickly.”

Today, Cobblestone Fruit has capacity to process up to 11 million cartons of citrus and has expanded to a second location. By prioritizing family legacy and unity, embracing new technology and partnering with a lender who deeply understands agriculture, Bobby Hines and Scott Riddle have built a foundation that will serve their families—and their growers—for generations to come.

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