Raisin farmers accuse longtime Fresno County packer of ripping them off

Several Fresno County farmers are accusing a longtime Sanger raisin packer of failing to pay them hundreds of thousands of dollars for raisins they delivered but never got paid for.

The farmers allege the Chooljian Brothers Packing Company accepted their raisins last year with the understanding that they would be sold and the growers would receive the proceeds, minus processing costs.

One grower said he was lured away from another packer by the Chooljians who promised he would be paid in full within 60 days of delivering his raisins.

“That 60-day deadline came and went,” said farmer Tony Panoo of Selma. “It’s been several months now and I can’t get anyone at that place to tell me what’s going on.”

The 73-year-old Panoo said he’s only received a portion of the approximately $55,000 he is owed. He farms 20 acres of Thompson Seedless grapes, the dominant raisin grape variety grown in the Fresno area.

“I depend on that money to harvest and pay my bills,” Panoo said.

Panoo will be meeting with an attorney to sort out what his next move will be.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture does investigate these types of complaints, but a spokesman for the department said their policy is not to confirm if a company is under investigation.

The Chooljians are considered one of the more prominent packers in Fresno County having been in business for 77 years. The company is run by brother and sister, Mike Chooljian and Sandra Barr.

Neither Barr nor Chooljian would comment.

Other grape farmers say they’re owed money

But as company officials remain silent, more farmers are speaking out.

Ron Bettinsoli, who farms in the Kerman area, said he’s owed more than $1 million for the raisins he was contracted to deliver to the Chooljian’s processing plant in southwest Sanger.

Like other farmers, Bettinsoli has asked company owners repeatedly to fulfill their end of their agreement. He has yet to receive an explanation as to why he hasn’t been paid.

“This is no way to run a business. People are having to try and get loans or pull their money out of retirement to try and keep their farms going,” Bettinsoli said.

Another farmer, who asked not to be identified, said he is owed about $150,000 for a crop he delivered to the Chooljian Brothers four years ago. The farmer is contemplating legal action.

“I send them an email once a week, and they keep telling me they are working on it,” the farmer said. “It sucks. They are living their lives and we are trying to scrape by.”

Prior Fresno County lawsuit against Chooljian Brothers

This isn’t the first time the Chooljians have been accused of not fully paying farmers.

Fresno County Superior Court records show a farmer in the Raisin City area of southwest Fresno County filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the Chooljians alleging they owe him $1.6 million for his 2017 crop.

In the lawsuit, the farmer said he provided the packer with 1,000-plus tons of Fiesta and Thompson Seedless grapes. Although the company advanced the farmer $47,674.81 on Jan. 11, 2018, and $50,000.00 on January 19, 2018, they still have not been paid in full.

The farmer alleges that had he known the company was struggling financially he never would have agreed to do business with them.

“At no time prior to or after defendant Chooljian Brothers entered into the written agreement with Plaintiff did it have the ability to meet its full financial obligations,” according to the lawsuit. “Defendant Chooljian Brothers is, and at all times herein mentioned was, so inadequately capitalized that, compared with the business to be done by the defendants and the risks of loss, its capitalization was illusory.”

The case is pending.

.