David Der Hairabedian

David Der Hairabedian
Lived in	Wisconsin, Fresno
Languages	Amenian, English
Ethnicities	Armenian
Dialects	Western Armenian

Longtime seed roasting company, David & Sons, to close Fresno plant

By Robert Rodriguez brodriguez@fresnobee.com

December 03, 2016

David & Sons, a tiny Fresno company that became one of the nation’s leading roasters of pumpkin and sunflower seeds, is shutting its doors and moving production to the Midwest. The company, founded in 1926 by David Der Hairbedian, an Armenian immigrant, is owned and operated by Conagra. The food giant bought the company in 2001 from Nestle, USA Inc., reinforcing David’s status as one of the top brands of snacking seeds in the U.S.

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Thompson called the plant’s eventual closure in Fresno an end of an era. “Everyone knows David’s seeds, it has been a part of Fresno for so long,” he said. “There are so many memories.” Thompson said many people didn’t know that Der Hairbedian didn’t set out to start a seed company. He arrived in Fresno in 1917 after spending some time in Wisconsin. During his early life in Fresno he ran a gas station and small repair shop at Railroad Avenue and Golden State Boulevard. It was in that repair shop where he stored a small roaster that he used to make his own roasted sunflower seeds. He sold them at the gas station, packaged in small cellophane bags. The seeds sold very well. And by 1926 David’s sunflower seeds was born. Der Hairbedian had two sons, Aram and Ara, who did not take over their father’s business. By 1966, David & Sons was sold to Sunline Inc., a division of Sunmark companies of St. Louis. It remained a Sunmark company for 20 years until it was bought in 1986 by Rowntree Mackintosh, a British confectionery company. David & Sons became part of the Nestle family after Nestle acquired Rowntree Mackintosh in 1988.

Thompson said he is proud of his days working for the company. During his tenure, the seed roaster experienced a seven-fold increase in sales and partnered with Major League Baseball to be the official supplier of seeds. He also got to know Der Hairbedian, who had long since retired when he joined the company. Thompson remembers meeting Der Hairbedian at his southeast Fresno home, where the company founder showed him a small shoebox of mementos. Inside were old packaging designs, formulas for the product and a matchbook with the company’s logo. Thompson was also able to get Der Hairbedian to attend the company’s 60th anniversary celebration in 1985. The company founder was then in his early 90s. He died four years later. “I remember him in his coat and tie and the moment he arrived, he literally ran over to see the plant,” Thompson said. “He was happy to be there. It was a fun day.”

Read more at: https://www.fresnobee.com/news/business/article118546003.html

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