California Ag Network

Tag: AGG

  • Allied Grape Growers Hires Tim Mendonca, Promotes Staff Members

    Allied Grape Growers (AGG) has named Tim Mendonca as full-time grower relations representative in the Central Valley. He will cover the east side of Fresno County and the region south of Hwy. 180 down to Kern County. As a member of the grower relations team, Mendonca will be responsible for liaising with association members and growers and facilitating grape deliveries on association contracts.

    Mendonca comes to AGG with more than a decade of experience in the industry. He graduated from Fresno State in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in viticulture, then went on to work for Agajanian Vineyards and Vie-Del Company. In addition to his formal education and experience working with local grape buyers, Mendonca earned his license as a certified pest control advisor (PCA). He is the president of the Fresno State Viticulture Alumni Association and has served as an alternate on the Winegrape Inspection Program Advisory Board.

    “We are thrilled to welcome Tim into the dedicated AGG family,” AGG President Jeff Bitter said. “With his viticulture degree, wine industry background and pest management expertise, he has just the right mix of knowledge and experience to benefit AGG for years to come. Tim is an excellent addition to our team.”

    Mendonca said, “I am looking forward to working with the AGG staff and growers to help accomplish our unified goals and objectives. It’s great to be part of the team I have always enjoyed doing business with in the past.”

    Staff Promotions

    AGG has promoted Karl Lehman from manager to director of Central Valley operations and Chad Clark from manager to director of North Coast operations. Lehman has been with AGG since 2006 and Clark since 2010. Additionally, Kevin Rogers was promoted from North Coast grower relations to manager of North Coast grower and buyer relations. He has been with AGG since 2016.

    “Karl, Chad and Kevin have all been incredible assets to AGG for many years and they are committed to the success of our members,” Bitter said. “We are proud of their hard work, dedication and leadership.”

  • Allied Grape Growers Hires Michael Haddox as Manager of Central Coast Operations

    Allied Grape Growers (AGG) has named Michael Haddox as its manager of Central Coast operations. The newly-created position expands AGG’s managerial grape sales team, which currently consists of positions in the North Coast, North Valley and Central Valley.

    In his new role, Haddox will oversee business development in the Central Coast, consisting primarily of winegrape marketing and sales as well as bulk wine production.

    Haddox comes to AGG with nearly 25 years of experience in the wine industry. Previously, he was a senior winery relations manager and winemaker in the Central Coast for Agajanian Vineyards & Wine Company, where he also oversaw grape and bulk wine sourcing. Haddox has also worked in grower relations and other positions for well-known, multinational vintners based in California and abroad. During his career, he has managed millions of dollars in grape contracts; monitored grape production; built and maintained strong relationships with growers, vintners and winemakers; informed growers regarding winery marketing strategies and programs; and fostered an extensive network within the industry.

    AGG President Jeff Bitter said, “Michael brings to the job diverse and far-reaching knowledge of the California wine industry, from vineyards to the cellar to the bottle. We are excited to welcome Michael into the loyal family of AGG employees. Michael understands AGG’s culture, as we have worked with him over many years as one of our preferred grape buyers. His recent years in the Central Coast will serve AGG well, as we develop a full, self-sustaining portfolio of business under his direction.”

  • Allied Grape Growers’ Emilio Miranda Retires After 44-Year Career

    Emilio Miranda, viticulturist and grower relations representative for Allied Grape Growers (AGG), retired today after four decades in the wine industry.

    Miranda started with AGG in 2004 after working for Constellation Brands from 1997 to 2004 and Paul Masson Vineyards from 1977 to 1997. For AGG members, he provided support, kept them informed about effective viticultural practices and handled harvest scheduling in the Central Valley.

    Throughout his career, Miranda served on numerous industry boards and committees, including the California Winegrape Inspection Advisory Board, California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, California Association of Winegrape Growers, Central California Winegrowers (now San Joaquin Valley Winegrowers Association), American Vineyard Foundation, National Grape & Wine Initiative (now National Grape Research Alliance) and Fresno State Vineyard Evaluation Team. He attended Fresno State from 1973 to 1978 majoring in plant science.

    “I have experienced and appreciated the wine industry from numerous job positions, including vineyard supervisor, cellar supervisor, harvest manager, viticulturist and fieldman. Above all, my most cherished time of year was harvest and bringing in the crop,” Miranda said. “Allied’s strength is helping to keep grape growers economically sustainable, and I was proud to be a part of a successful and hard-working team for the past 16 years.”

    AGG President Jeff Bitter said, “Emilio’s wealth of knowledge accumulated over 44 years in this ever-changing business has been invaluable to AGG. He brought great and diverse perspective to AGG that will be greatly missed, as all of his prior experience was on the winery side of the business. As our viticulturist, he served our growers well. More importantly, he was a friend to all of us.”

  • Allied Grape Growers Address North Coast Wildfire Situation

    It is devastating to see our friends in the wine industry, neighbors and families losing their homes and in some cases, their lives to these destructive wildfires. Learn about the current status of the situation from both the community and wine industry perspective by watching this video interview with Nat DiBuduo, President of Allied Grape Growers, and what you can do to help in the relief effort. Read more in American Vineyard Magazine.