On February 16, 1998, we made our first deliveries of mixed fruit boxes to companies in San Francisco’s Embarcadero Center from Chris Mittelstaedt & Pia Hinckle’s one-bedroom apartment in the North Beach neighborhood.
We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs through the decades (can you say Dot Com crash? Financial meltdown? Global pandemic?). We are still here and still family-owned and operated and a proud B Corp. We are so grateful to our present and past employees, clients, farm partners, vendors, and community partners for getting us here. Thank you all!!
How did it all start? See the 2014 video of the early FruitGuys story straight from the Chief Banana.
FruitGuys History Gallery
25 Years of Innovations & Awards
National Fruit at Work Day
The FruitGuys started National Fruit at Work Day, which is celebrated the first Tuesday of October to promote the health and productivity benefits of consuming whole fresh fruit during the workday.
Take a Breather On Demand
Take a Breather On Demand was developed by The FruitGuys together with WellFests to bring a 15-minute wellness break to calm, relax, clarify and focus.
25 Years of Impact
Since 1998, The FruitGuys has been on a mission to support sustainable agriculture and combat hunger. Buying your fruit from The FruitGuys helps our family-owned and operated B Corp business sustain the small independent farmers we support and source from and the hunger-relief non-profits we donate to through our GoodWorks programs.
We support this mission by donating a minimum value of 20% annual profits to fight hunger and support sustainable farming practices.
18 million servings donated nationwide
$412,000 in grants to 105 small farms in 30+ states
Your happiness and satisfaction is our top priority. If you’re ever not satisfied with what you have received, we will replace or credit you for those items. This goal of pleasing you is more than just a policy, it’s a five-step philosophy of customer care that we’ve built our business on and that guides our actions everyday.
1. We’ll be Respectful of you at all times.
2. We’ll be Responsive to your needs.
3. We’ll be Realistic with you about what we can or cannot do.
4. We’ll take personal Responsibility to provide a positive experience.
5. We’ll work hard so that you’ll Remember us positively.
The FruitGuys 5Rs © Chris Mittelstaedt, 1999
Press Room
Read, watch and listen to stories featuring The FruitGuys
The FruitGuys Magazine
Celebrate Black Farmers & Agricultural Inventors
There were nearly a million farms operated by Black farmers around 1920 which the census at the time noted made up about 14% of the
THE FRUITGUYS MAKES TOP IMPACT COMPANIES LIST OF 2023
The FruitGuys is excited to announce that it has been named a top impact company for 2023 by the global Real Leaders Impact Awards. This
Donate, Don’t Cancel During Holiday Closures
As the holiday season approaches, we want to thank you for your business and share how The FruitGuys Donate-a-Crate program makes it easy to forward
Celebrate National Fruit at Work Day 2022
You’ve been waiting all year for it—now the time has arrived. That’s right, the 7th annual National Fruit at Work Day is here! Tuesday, October
The FruitGuys Awarded B Corp Best for the World
The FruitGuys has been named a 2022 Best for the World™ B Corp™ in recognition of its exceptional positive impact in the Community category. Best for
Women Growing Change: The Class of 2022 FruitGuys Community Fund Grantees
A diverse group of women farmers dominate the 2022 class of grantees for The FruitGuys Community Fund, the nonprofit’s 10th year of providing grants to
