For more than two centuries, the idea of the American Dream has inspired generations born on this soil just as much as those who arrived seeking opportunity. It’s the enduring belief that with hard work, grit and determination, anyone – regardless of where they start – can rise from modest roots to build something lasting, meaningful and entirely their own.

This is exactly what Stewart Resnick, Chairman, President and Co-owner of The Wonderful Company, has accomplished.

Resnick founded the company alongside his wife, Lynda Resnick, almost 50 years ago. Together, they’ve built one of the world’s largest privately held agricultural, real estate and consumer packaged goods companies, with nearly $7 billion in annual revenue and a more than 10,000-person global workforce. They own and produce iconic, healthy brands including FIJI Water, POM Wonderful, Wonderful Pistachios, Wonderful Halos, Wonderful Seedless Lemons, Teleflora, and JUSTIN and Lewis Cellars wines. Chances are, their products are already in your kitchen – or your neighbor’s – since nearly half of U.S. households have them in their pantries.

It’s these sorts of landmark accomplishments that have led to Resnick receiving the Award of Honor this year, Western Growers’ highest recognition of achievement, given to individuals who have contributed extensively to the agriculture community.

This industry giant didn’t take a straight path into ag, but that’s where his journey began.

He was born on a New Jersey farm on Dec. 24, 1936. “But we didn’t farm it because it was during the recession,” Resnick explained.

Growing up in a middle-class family, Resnick learned early on to appreciate the value of a dollar, and at the ripe age of 13, took it upon himself to get a job at the local pharmacy as a photo developer. By the time he was in high school, he had created his own business selling toys at farmers markets in Central Jersey and used this money to help pay his way through college. “At this point, my father had gone bankrupt, and we never had much money,” he said.

Resnick began his studies at Rutgers University before transferring to the University of California, Los Angeles, where he could take advantage of the better weather and more affordable tuition – $60 a semester at the time.

With an entrepreneurial mindset rooted since childhood, Resnick continued to work odd jobs, including washing windows.

“My father owned a local bar in Highland Park, New Jersey, at one point,” Resnick said. “And I remember he always had problems with the janitor. Sometimes they wouldn’t show up, and I thought, ‘Well, I’m reliable.’”

After getting a steady stream of clients on his own just by knocking on doors, Resnick decided to bring on additional employees and eventually launched his own janitorial business.

Starting with a small team of five, the company expanded to 100 in just three years, by the time Resnick graduated from law school. He eventually sold his business and used the proceeds to purchase other companies.

As the businesses grew, Resnick applied his sharp business acumen to scale and sustain lasting success.

“Interest rates were about 15 percent, and I was concerned about inflation. At that time, with kids and a family, I knew I had to figure something else out,” Resnick said.

So, as a hedge against inflation, Resnick purchased Paramount Citrus in 1979 – complete with 1,000 acres of land – and officially kicked off his career in the ag industry.

“It worked out well in the beginning. The citrus business was quite good,” Resnick said. “I was just going to be a passive investor, but I liked the opportunity – the business – so I built it up.”

By the mid-‘80s, Resnick was already eyeing his next big venture: cracking into the nut business, specifically pistachios.

“Lynda was a genius with our branding, and I had a pretty good idea about sales and how to scale from my other businesses. I thought if we could apply that here, we could be a leader in this business and eventually dominate it,” he said.

Implementing a vertically integrated model, Resnick didn’t stop at growing nut trees. He expanded to managing every step of the process in-house – from nurseries and harvesting to processing, packaging, merchandising, advertising and distribution.

Today, The Wonderful Company is the world’s largest grower and processor of pistachios, holding a commanding 60 percent share of the U.S. pistachio market and 40 percent of the global market. It is America’s largest citrus grower and one of the country’s biggest producers of mandarins, seedless lemons and pomegranates. Wonderful also owns the world’s largest flower delivery service with Teleflora and is a market leader in premium wines, with JUSTIN, Lewis Cellars and Landmark wines, as well as bottled water with FIJI Water and pomegranate juice with POM Wonderful.

In the face of a rapidly changing climate, environmental sustainability has been at the center of their work. Resnick believes Wonderful must be a deeply responsible steward of the environment and lead by example to create a sustainable future. That commitment extends to their philanthropy as well. In 2019, the Resnicks pledged a historic $750 million to Caltech to help combat climate change, as well as another $50 million to UC Davis to invest in the future of agricultural research.

While these brands and commodities are precious to Resnick, it’s not the what, but the who – in the factories and the fields – that means the most to him.

After establishing their pistachio factory, he and Lynda prioritized investing in the people from Lost Hills, Calif., a Central Valley town where one of every two households includes a Wonderful employee.

As they devoted time and resources into growing their businesses, Lynda urged her husband to consider how they might do the same for the people in that community.

“We didn’t think it was right that, for these employees, their roads were unpaved; they didn’t have sidewalks; quality education was lacking. So, we chose to really support that town,” Resnick said.

That commitment quickly expanded across the Central Valley. Starting with infrastructure, the Resnicks, along with their foundations and The Wonderful Company, have made a giant impact across the region where Wonderful operates – well beyond Lost Hills – focusing on education, housing, parks, health care and more. Their work includes building affordable housing, refurbishing parks, establishing community centers and playgrounds, and opening free health clinics at plants and schools.

The Resnicks and Wonderful opened two charter schools, which today offer a four-year college scholarship and mentoring to employees’ children and other high school students.

“Before we built this charter school, there was no high school in Lost Hills,” Resnick said.

Between charter schools in Delano and Lost Hills, more than 2,500 students are currently enrolled in Wonderful College Prep Academy (WCPA). WCPA is one of many education initiatives that Wonderful supports.

Wonderful Education programs offer a broad spectrum of support from cradle to career – including two preschools, a dual-enrollment program, college scholarships, career training and more. Each year, Wonderful Education serves more than 5,000 students in the Central Valley. To date, more than 3,000 college scholarships have been awarded—each worth up to $40,000.

That work came full circle last year, when the Resnicks attended the first high school graduation in Lost Hills’ history – a monumental achievement. Some of those grads went on to schools like UC Davis, Fresno State, Cal Poly, and even Resnick’s alma mater, UCLA. Others returned to the Central Valley and found opportunities in agriculture, health and wellness, education and more.

For the Resnicks, true impact means disrupting the cycle of poverty – not just through jobs, but through long-term, generational investments.

That includes free, on-site health care available to all employees, students, and their families in Lost Hills and Delano. Company-subsidized cafeterias in Del Rey, Delano, Lost Hills, Shafter and Los Angeles are foundational to the company’s mission of encouraging and supporting better health, offering only nutritious meals at affordable prices – a change that’s contributed to a 51 percent reduction in diabetes and prediabetes among Central Valley workers since 2015.

As a result, a once-underserved community has become a thriving hub where children receive a quality education, families earn better incomes and healthier lifestyles are the norm.

This commitment to healthy living is clearly seen in their business model, which includes selling only nutrient-rich foods to consumers: citrus, nuts and pomegranates, with wine rounding out the list as a heart-friendly bonus.

That same virtue extends to how Resnick does business. He said he wouldn’t be where he is today without staying true to his word.

“It’s a pleasure to do business with farmers because if you keep your word, that’s all that’s important. You don’t need a 50-page contract. If you don’t keep your word, you’re out. So, we’ve always met our commitments, and we take a lot of pride in that,” he said.

Resnick said he views the Western Growers Award of Honor as validation – recognition and acceptance by the ag community, despite being first-generation.

“I’m very honored to be part of this community and to receive this recognition from Western Growers – an award that’s gone to so many agriculture leaders I’ve long admired. For five decades, agriculture has been the heart and soul of my professional life. It’s been incredibly special to be part of California’s farming community and to help feed a growing world.”

From humble beginnings to building a lasting empire in the heart of California’s agricultural landscape, Stewart Resnick’s journey is proof that the American Dream is still alive – not just in what one can build, but in how one can empower others to rise as well. His story is one of vision, integrity and enduring impact – one that will continue to uplift families and communities for generations to come.