Domenick Bianco describes the long journey of his family’s business from the streets of New York to the expansive fields of California.

Domenick Bianco, CEO

“Today, we have roughly 6,500 acres, concentrated in Kern and Riverside counties, producing all the popular varieties of red, green, and black seedless grapes, which we sell to all the major supermarket chains.”

If that sounds as though the Bianco brothers’ operation is finally secure, think again. Retail consolidation has fundamentally changed the market, putting increasing pressure on companies like Anthony Vineyards. “Consolidation is having a major impact,” admitted Bianco. “There used to be perhaps 50 supermarket chains to sell to; now it’s more like 20.” He added that there is no sign that this wave of consolidation has run its course.

“The shrinking number of outlets is putting a lot of pressure on companies like ours, but to be successful you have to find ways to cope.” Marketing is one of those coping mechanisms, and Anthony Vineyards maintains its own marketing staff. Another is to cut costs while maintaining or improving quality. It’s not easy to cut costs in grape production since it’s a labor intensive activity, one that resists mechanization. Anthony Vineyards is addressing this issue through a long-term program of improving its farming methods.

One improvement is a drip irrigation system that saves water, a precious quality in California. “Instead of the old method of irrigation, where water is sent down a row, the new system applies water directly to the plants through the use of emitters,” said Bianco. “It’s a much more efficient way to irrigate. It’s expensive to install, but it has to be done to conserve water because water is such a vital ingredient in our business.”

Anthony Vineyards is also replacing the traditional wooden stakes with cross arms for the vines, moving instead to the gable system now used in Europe. A gable is a large piece of steel, typically seven feet high, that holds a V-shaped component. The whole structure is anchored to the ground by a series of wires, and the vine is trained up the gable just as it would be with a wooden stake. The difference is that the vine goes higher, exposing more leaf surface to the sun and the drip irrigation. The gable system also provides more shade for the grapes and lessens the chance that bunches of grapes will become tangled.

“With the gable system, people can see the grapes better and harvest them more easily. That reduces labor costs and produces a better quality product.” Bianco admitted that switching from the traditional stakes to the steel gables represents a major investment but feels it has to be done to compete effectively in today’s challenging market.

Anthony Vineyards also recently invested in additional cold storage capacity. “The new equipment provides us with greater capacity and faster cooling. It’s essential to get the fruit cooled as quickly as possible once it comes off the vine. This helps maintain its quality and increases its shelf life.”

As for the future, Bianco, who now runs the company with his younger brother Robert, said they will do whatever it takes to maintain Anthony Vineyards as a successful and forward-looking agricultural company. “We love this business, and we hope we can stay farmers for the rest of our lives. Both my brother and I have our children involved in the business, and we hope they love it too.”

Greg Farnum is a Detroit-based journalist specializing in business and technology. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .