California Farmer Gives Away Nectarines Amid Legal Fight

REEDLEY, Calif. — A third-generation California farmer has given away more than 125,000 pounds of white nectarines for free rather than watch them rot, after a legal dispute with a major agricultural company left him legally barred from selling his own crop.

Cesar Mora, who farms in Reedley in California’s Central Valley, has been locked in a legal battle since 2023 with Los Angeles-based Giumarra Brothers Fruit Co., which claims exclusive rights over the “Monalise” white nectarine variety he grows. The giveaway, which ran from June 29 through July 3, drew thousands of visitors to his orchard and was temporarily shut down by the California Highway Patrol due to overwhelming crowds and safety concerns, according to the Associated Press.

The Legal Dispute

Mora signed a sublicensing agreement with Giumarra in 2017 allowing him to grow and sell the Monalise variety, followed by a marketing agreement in 2019 requiring the fruit to be packed and sold exclusively through the company. Under the terms, Mora paid a royalty of $2.50 per tree and a 4% production royalty based on gross sales, plus a sales commission.

However, Mora alleges that up to half of the nectarines he provided to Giumarra in 2020 were thrown away, reducing his profits. He also claims the company sold his nectarines to Taiwan in 2022 in violation of the contract, which restricted sales to the U.S. and Canada. In 2023, Mora terminated his relationship with Giumarra and sold his fruit to another packer — prompting Giumarra to sue him for breach of contract.

In May 2026, Fresno County Superior Court Judge Jon Skiles ruled that Giumarra’s breach of contract claim can proceed, stating the agreement is valid regardless of whether a patent exists for the fruit. The trial is scheduled for July 20.

“At its heart, this is a disagreement involving two written agreements, and it is being resolved the right way — in court and on the facts,” Giumarra said in a statement to the ABC7.

A Harvest Given Away

Rather than let another season’s harvest go to waste, Mora announced he would give away the fruit for free. The response was overwhelming: between 2,000 and 3,000 people visited the orchard, with some driving hours to collect the sweet, less-tart white nectarines.

“It was really just a thought of not wasting a perfectly good product,” Mora told the AP. “It does make a grower feel good, being able to share my fruit with people and see their immediate reaction that they love it. It’s a little bit of good in this tough situation that I’ve been dealing with.”

The giveaway drew such massive crowds that the California Highway Patrol temporarily shut it down on July 1 due to traffic and safety concerns, as reported by KMPH FOX26. It resumed the following day.

Mora said he also received cease and desist letters demanding he stop the giveaway and let the fruit rot. “Honestly, I’m not okay with that,” he told FOX26. “I don’t understand their purpose behind it.”

The Human Cost

The legal battle has taken a heavy toll on Mora, who also grows peaches and plums not subject to the Giumarra agreements. He estimates he has lost approximately 25% of his income due to his inability to sell his nectarine crop.

“It’s been discouraging to even want to go out and farm,” Mora told the AP.

A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $17,000 to help cover his legal expenses. His Instagram account, @NoNectarinesWasted, garnered over 866,000 views on an explanatory video, according to ABC7.

In a fiery message shared on social media, Mora pushed back against Giumarra’s claims of authority over his crop: “What gives them the right? What gives them the authority? What gives them the power? Who says they are kings other than them? I didn’t crown them and I don’t bow the knee to them either. I won’t bow to a false king,” he said, as reported by the New York Post.

Broader Implications for Agriculture

The case highlights growing tensions between small farmers and large agricultural corporations over plant patents and licensing agreements. The Monalise variety is owned by Star Fruits Diffusion, a French plant breeding company, and Giumarra has stated in court filings that the variety is NOT covered by a U.S. plant patent — meaning its claims rest entirely on contractual agreements.

Bradley Rickard, a professor of food and agricultural economics at Cornell University, noted that fruit patents are becoming increasingly common. The U.S. Plant Patent Act of 1930 allows breeders to patent new varieties and collect royalties from the trees they sell, the fruit they produce, or both.

Mora’s attorneys argue that Giumarra “promised and represented that the Nectarines were an ‘exclusive variety’” that would “be sold for top dollar.” They also claim Giumarra has not provided documents regarding its license to the nectarine variety.

What’s Next

The trial scheduled for July 20 in Fresno County Superior Court will determine whether Mora breached his contract with Giumarra — and whether he will be able to sell future harvests of the Monalise variety. The case has drawn widespread public sympathy, with Mora’s “No Nectarines Wasted” campaign resonating far beyond California’s Central Valley.

For now, Mora says the support from the community has been the one bright spot in an otherwise difficult situation. “The only saving grace through all this is being able to share it with the public,” he said, “and having everybody enjoy it.”