Home Care In Dinuba, CA

DINUBA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Alfonso Rios was a musician, a brother, a friend, a father and a grandfather. His daughter, Mariana Rios, tells Action News more than anything, he was their king.

"His kindness, his love, his heart, like no other," said Mariana.

Mariana says her dad was someone who put everyone else's needs ahead of his own.

"Compassionate, more than anything, his smile, you could see his eyes light up," said Mariana.

Friday morning in Dinuba, a driver hit Rios and his granddaughter just feet away from their home, while they were walking back from school.

"My dad, unfortunately, didn't make it, my baby she's alive, thank god she's alive," said Mariana.

Now, a growing memorial remains at Crawford Avenue and Terrace Drive where the crash happened.

Mariana says her daughter is only four years old and spending time with her granddad on their walks, was their special time together.

"He had so much love for all of his grandchildren, for all of his family, but It was an honor for me to see him walk hand in hand with my daughters," said Mariana.

His favorite drinks, belts, hats, and guitar are just a few ways she plans to remember her patriarch.

But she says one thing he always taught her, "Echale ganas, Echale ganas, don't give up, don't give up."

Knowing her dad never gave up on saving her daughter.

"The sacrifice that he did even in his last moment to protect the life of my daughter -- again that compassion, that love," said Mariana.

While Rios is gone, she knows he will never be forgotten.

"I'm so thankful that we didn't have to wait for a moment like this for my dad to know that he was loved, he knew, he was loved," said Mariana.

And now she just wants her king to know how much he meant to her.

"I love him more than anything, and I miss him and that I wish he was here so that I could hug him and tell him that I love him," said Mariana.

Rios was 72.

To support the family's GoFundMe, click here.

Pressed Juicery retools former Odwalla juice plant in Dinuba using high pressure sterilization to preserve natural fruit flavors; will open first retail store in Fresno in 2022

DINUBA – Start-up juice companies Odwalla and Pressed Juicery were each launched on a shoestring by their visionary founders, both out of a garage or broom closet along the California coast. Both grew exponentially and settled on making fresh squeezed juice in the heart of the state’s tree-fruit belt, in Dinuba, Calif.

Odwalla grew fast but later stumbled and then closed sometime after it was sold to Coca Cola.

Six years later, another company, Pressed Juicery, is carrying on at the same 220,000 square foot Odwalla complex that Coke abandoned. Chief supply chain officer Mike Stokes said Pressed sought out a number of the former Odwalla employees who lost their jobs in 2016 as the company started up.

Despite some similarities like their young and dedicated customer base there is a big difference between how Odwalla and Pressed Juicery process the product, explains Stokes. Odwalla originally sold unpasteurized juices, claiming that the process of pasteurization altered the natural flavor of the juice. Following an E. coli outbreak and the death of at least one child, a story that made national news, Odwalla adopted flash pasteurization to ensure pathogens were eliminated. This changed the fresh juice industry as many adopted heat-treated processing.

Pressed on technology

By contrast, the Pressed Juicery company embraces pressure—high pressure. Instead of pasteurization of the ingredients they put the juice in a high pressure (HPP) machine that allows those ‘just picked’ flavors to stay strong while eliminating any pathogens.

By processing foods at extremely high water pressure (up to 87,000 pounds per square inch, more than the deepest ocean), HPP machines neutralize listeria, salmonella, E. coli and other deadly bacteria.

Unlike thermal, chemical and other high-heat treatments, HPP runs cold, says the equipment maker. It doesn’t alter food taste, texture or quality, or require loads of chemicals to stay “fresh.” Even better, it can extend shelf life up to two or three times longer than traditional preservation methods.

Like the former tenant, Pressed was launched on a small scale back in 2010, propelled by a personal campaign to make healthy juice and smoothies. It began by squeezing orange juice with a second-hand juicer.

In Odwalla’s case, the first squeeze happened in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Pressed Juicery founder Hayden Slater and his partners convinced a local LA cupcake shop to lend their kitchen at night so he had a place to make juice. Almost every night, from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., he would be there. It started in a broom closet beneath a yoga studio in Brentwood, Calif., Slater stated in a published interview.

Both had a vision beyond making money describing their enterprises as a way to “save the planet.” Odwalla’s founders- three jazz musicians- proclaimed a desire to “nourish people everywhere, respect our planet, protect the soil, and create products good for the soul.”

Pressed’s philosophy says “Real, plant-based food holds the power to not only nourish our bodies but inspire a lifelong wellness journey. At Pressed, we think everyone deserves to enjoy the best of what nature has to offer, which is why we’re dedicated to making wholesome nutrition as accessible as possible.”

Pressed is a leading plant-based beverage, snacks, and treats brand focused on providing people with delicious, accessible, real-food that inspires healthier living, according to the company. Its vertically integrated model provides access to cold-pressed juices, functional shots, alternative milks, and plant-based soft serve through more than 90 retail stores, 2,000 wholesale doors, and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform.

Since its inception in 2010, Pressed has become one of the fastest-growing retailers in the United States and is the most followed juice brand on social media, according to Pressed. The company claims it is a brand of choice for health and wellness followers yet are approachable to everyday consumers striving to make positive changes in their lifestyles.

Today, the chain has plans to expand further in the Eastern U.S. including Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. They are already in New York. Beyond juice, the company now offers coffee, smoothies and plant-based soft-serve treats.

Dinuba impressed

Stokes, chief supply chain officer for Pressed, tells the story of how founder Slater spent time with tech billionaire Elon Musk who told him “Tesla would not have existed without first acquiring the former automotive plant in Fremont, Calif., the Nummi manufacturing facility, for pennies on the dollar. Musk paid $42 million for the former GM-Toyota joint-venture facility, considered a bargain that helped launch the electric car era.

The story illustrates the importance of a key low-cost acquisition at the early stage of a company’s growth that makes all the difference.

For Slater, “the empty Dinuba juice plant was his Nummi, even though he didn’t need it for at least three years,” Stokes said. The price tag has not been released but the plant came full of equipment when it was purchased in 2016, unlike the Musk’s deal. “Coke just walked away,” Stokes adds.

By 2017, Salter began bottling in Dinuba for other companies including the current bottling for Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar, a fast growing health food with all kinds of wellness uses, even as a shampoo.

This month, Pressed installed its first $7 million HPP cold press machine to process fruit and vegetable juice that will end up in company bottles. The company is now gearing up to make Dinuba one of their key manufacturing headquarters.

Retail impression

Unlike Odwalla’s approach, Pressed Juicery has nearly 100 of their own retail stores where the great majority of the juice is sold. This is despite the fact that their juice is the number one seller at major organic retailers like Sprouts in a crowded refrigerated juice aisle.

Now they will open their first retail store in the San Joaquin Valley, says Stokes, early next year at the Villaggio Shopping Center in Fresno. The company is slated to open 30 new in 2022.

Pressed operates another bottling facility in Fresno, off Highway 99 and Jensen, where they employ about 70. By this coming year Stokes estimates employment at the Dinuba plant should climb to 125 to 150 even though both facilities will be operating. About 70% of the produce coming into the Tulare County plant comes from a radius of around 200 miles including from local growers like Bee Sweet, Stokes said.

About

John Lindt is the publisher of Sierra2theSea.net, an online newspaper covering California’s Central Valley and Central Coast.

Former Dinuba High, College of the Sequoias and Fresno State pitcher Dylan Lee got the start for the Atlanta Braves in Game 4 of the World Series.

Lee, who turned 27 on Aug. 1, was used to pitching in big spots throughout his high school and college career. But the assignment Saturday night was something altogether different.

According to MLB, Lee is the first pitcher in history to make his first big league start in a World Series game. His two career regular-season games mark the fewest by a World Series starter, according to Elias Sports.

Dylan Lee of the @Braves will become the 1st pitcher in history to make his 1st big league start in a #WorldSeries game. @EliasSports notes his 2 career regular season games mark the fewest by a WS starter, eclipsing the 6 by Marty Bystrom (PHI, 1980) & Steven Matz (NYM, 2015).

— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) October 30, 2021

The left-hander served as an “opener” and was expected to throw no more than an inning or two before yielding to another pitcher out of the bullpen.

Instead, his outing lasted just four batters, allowing a leadoff single to Jose Altuve and then two walks sandwiched around a groundout. He left with the bases loaded but reliever Kyle Wright limited the damage to one run. Atlanta rallied to win 3-2 and move within one victory of a World Series championship.

At Dinuba High, located 30 miles southeast of Fresno, Lee pitched three seasons and was named the Central Sequoia League Most Valuable Player in 2012, leading the Emperors to a league title with a 10-2 record in his senior season. He was 9-3 with a 0.40 ERA.

As a junior, Lee went 8-3 with a 2.09 ERA for a CSL championship team. He only pitched in three games as a sophomore, going 1-2 with a 1.91 ERA.

Lee took the junior college route and played for College of the Sequoias, where he led the Giants to the state final four at John Euless Ballpark in Fresno as a sophomore. He finished with a 13-1 record and 2.34 ERA.

He won 13 straight decisions before a loss in the state tournament and was named to the All-California team, selected as the Central Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year and earned a spot on the Gold Glove team.

Lee went on to play for Fresno State in the 2015 and 2016 seasons under Mike Batesole. He appeared in 15 games in 2015 and went 4-2 with a 5.31 ERA. He had 30 strikeouts in 39 innings. Lee went 2-2 with a 3.45 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 47 innings in 2016.

He was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 10th round of the 2016 MLB draft. He pitched four seasons in the Marlins’ organization before he was released March 29.

Lee signed a minor league contract with the Braves in April and was assigned to the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, for whom he went 5-1 with one save, with a 1.58 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 46 2-3 innings.

Lee got his first taste of the Big Show when he was called up in late September. Lee learned he was one of the relievers to make the Braves’ postseason roster for the National League Division Series but did not pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Lee was initially left off the roster for the NL Championship Series but was added after an injury to Huascar Ynoa and pitched against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5, allowing three hits and a run in two innings.

He has made one appearance already in the World Series in Game 2, when he struck out one in two-thirds of an inning against the Astros.

This story was originally published October 30, 2021, 2:25 PM.

Odwalla juice came to Dinuba from the Bay Area in 1994 to be close to the fruit supply that makes up most of its refrigerated juices. The company announced last week they will shut their plant in Dinuba in April leaving 164 people without a job.

So what happened?

Odwalla for years enjoyed growing sales as the first premium juice product for those looking for healthier options than soda. Founded in 1980, the company had some go-go years followed by an E. coli outbreak that hurt sales for a time but revolutionized the processing of premium juice securing its place as a healthy alternative. So it was ironic that in 2000 the small company launched by some Half Moon Bay musicians of the Ben & Jerry’s ilk would be bought by mega-beverage player Coca-Cola in 2001 for $180 million.

Within a few years Odwalla had plenty of company in the refrigerated juice grocery aisle from some major competitors. Pepsi bought Naked Juice and Campbell’s took over Bolthouse Farms. As competition heated up and more niche juicers joined the crowd Odwalla sales fell off.

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Dinuba assistant city manager Jayne Anderson says there was no major sign Odwalla was unhappy although they did lay off a shift about a year ago.

“We are very disappointed to see them go,” he said.

The food maker was one of the town’s larger employers.

Paul Saldana, Tulare County Economic Development president, said “we have met with Coca-Cola on a couple of occasions over the years regarding Odwalla and they had indicated the competitive nature of the juice business. In following the trends the last few years (which we do for many of our manufacturers) they have rebranded their product twice in just the last couple of years to compete with Pepsi’s product. There was a time when Odwalla had more share of space as places like Starbucks, until Starbucks saw sales of these products and started their own line of juice drinks. While I don’t know the specific reasons, I would venture to say that given these trends, they are looking to lower production costs through co-packing.”

Indeed that is the plan says Coke spokesperson Nancy Limon.

“Coca-Cola North America continuously seeks ways to optimize our distribution and warehouse network to provide the highest-quality products and best customer service. After careful consideration, we have decided to move production of our Odwalla beverages from a company-owned facility to a co-packer,” she said. “Doing so will bring greater efficiency and effectiveness to our business and allow us to better serve our customers.”

The co-packer is Aseptic Solutions USA in Corona, a division of Glanbia, an international company with roots in the Irish milk business.

Meanwhile Coke is merging Odwalla distribution sales with another premium juice maker they have invested in — Suja, based in San Diego. This product is more expensive than Odwalla and is all organic.

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Co-packing

So Coke will not have to invest in a more efficient plant and equipment nor carry employees on their books with this co-packing move. Many other large companies look to co-packing to cut their expenses by jobbing out the headaches. Another factor, Riverside has arguably a larger pool of cheap labor than Dinuba.

What Coke is losing is of course complete control over their process as well as loss of the advantage of being close to their fruit supply. Processing in southern California puts them close to a large consumer population but farther away from northern California, where Odwalla has a large, loyal fan base.

So what happens to the 65,000 square-foot USDA-approved plant in Dinuba?

Saldana expresses optimism it will get a new user and jobs can return.

“We hope to get the property info very shortly so that we can start getting information out on the facility availability,” he said. “We have had good luck filling these types of facilities over the years.”

DINUBA, California (KGPE) – Comedian and actor Paul Rodriguez says he’s coming back to the Central Valley after experiencing several economic and personal hardships – including his home in Dinuba burning down a couple of weeks ago.

Rodriguez said buying a home for his mother was a dream of his and something he was able to do after gaining success in his career.

“I bought them this ranch and they lived their years here. My parents went from migrant farmworkers to having their own little ranch. They were happy, that was my only goal,” he said.

He and his family immigrated to the Central Valley from Mexico. He says he then lived in Compton and joined U.S. Air Force. After returning to the Los Angeles area, he pursued a career in acting.

He added that his mom always wanted to go back to the Central Valley.

“Every memory that I can think of were here. Our Thanksgivings were here, our gatherings,” he said referring to the Dinuba home.

Rodriguez said his mom lived in the Dinuba home until she passed away in 2013. Since then, he said he didn’t visit often. And then a few weeks ago, his sister and brother-in-law were in the home when it burst into flames.

“The fire happened in a refrigerator downstairs, apparently it caught fire with some cobwebs and it simmered,” Rodriguez said. “Within 30 seconds the floor caved in and the whole place exploded.”

He didn’t have home insurance.

“I had no insurance, not because I didn’t want to but I’ve gone through some economic problems,” he said.

Rodriguez said he lost his money because of a bad accountant.

“In less than five years, all my money is gone,” he said.

But now, Rodriguez is looking to move forward. He has 40 acres of lemons and says he wants to rebuild his house. But he says his goal is to start a theater company for actors in the Valley.

“Me, I’ve always been a big dreamer, dreams do come true and that’s my goal. I want to teach, I want to have comedy here,” he said.

His work in the Valley goes back to when he worked with the California Latino Water Coalition to bring awareness to water issues. That’s when he met Mario Santoyo, the California Latino Water Coalition executive director.

“Paul’s involvement with water here in the Valley is probably is most significant to bringing attention to the valley on a national level,” Santoyo said. “Paul’s not a quitter. And it’s so easy to give up when you’ve had as many setbacks as he’s had recently. He’s got high hopes.”

As he works toward his goals, Rodriguez said he aims to help create more Latino representation on screen. And he plans to do that work in the Central Valley.

“I’m here because this is home. Maybe God told me this is what I got to do by burning the house. All I know is that I want to spend the rest of my life being an advocate for us to be represented,” he said.