Sunsweet Co-op

Long before the first microchip was ever etched, the Santa Clara Valley, the "Valley of Heart's Delight." was actually the largest fruit-producing and packing region in the entire world. This spot at Third and Depot Streets was right at the center of that empire. 

In 1850, Louis Pellier, celebrated as the "father" of California prunes, introduced specialized French plum stock to the state's fertile soil. Decades later, local growers united in 1912 to form the Morgan Hill Farmer’s Union, a dried fruit cooperative that merged into the California Prune and Apricot Growers in 1918. Becoming Sunsweet's Plant #2, this sprawling facility grew into the town’s beating industrial heart. Here, millions of prunes and apricots—harvested from a breathtaking "sea of white blossoms" that once stretched across the valley floor for miles, were packed under the iconic Sunsweet name.

By 1940 the prune industry was at its peak with over 56,000 acres of fruit growing throughout the valley—far more than any other crop. Life revolved around the harvest; the only entertainment for local youth after a hard day's work in the fields were the two soda fountains that remained downtown through the 1940s.

The shift from the "Valley of Heart's Delight" to Silicon Valley is literally written into the history of this building. As the orchards were slowly replaced by office parks and tech campuses farther north, the Sunsweet plant finally closed its doors in 1987. That was a major turning point for Morgan Hill—it was the moment the town officially traded its identity as a rural packing hub for a new chapter as a modern residential community. However, “Sunsweet” lives on, the name given to the apartment complex now located on the site.

Morgan Hill Farmer’s Union Building

Morgan Hill Farmer’s Union workers

📍Click below to learn about points of interest and stories along the trail.