California fruit farmers’ free nectarine giveaway shut down by authorities due to huge crowds

A California farmer’s massive free fruit giveaway was shut down after thousands swarmed his orchard, as he battles what he called a “false king” in a bitter legal fight over his nectarine crop.

Central Valley farmer Cesar Mora of Reedley said he refused to let another harvest rot on the trees, announcing plans to give away 125,000 pounds of nectarines for free.

Mora claims agriculture giant Giumarra has blocked him from packing or selling the stone fruit amid a dispute over ownership, despite his insistence that he’s personally grown the crop for the past decade.

> REEDLEY.”” >

The giveaway drew massive crowds Tuesday, leading to a temporary shutdown by the California Highway Patrol for safety concerns as lines of cars piled up trying to get to the farm, KMPH reported.

Following all the publicity, Mora said he received two letters, one was a cease and desist from Guimarra “demanding that I stop this giveaway.”

“What gives them the right? What gives them the authority? What gives them the power? Who says they are kings other than them?” Mora said in a fiery message on TikTok.

“I didn’t crown them and I don’t bow the knee to them either. I won’t bow to a false king.”

The other letter he said was a “preservation of rights,” demanding that he take full accounting of every single pound of fruit that he gave away.

Mora thanked the community and those who drove hours to come and get his crop. “I appreciate all the smiles and just all the good vibes,” he said. “So, thank you.”

The legal case has been working its way through the courts since 2023.

“Giumarra claims ownership of the variety of fruit Cesar grows and has sued him for breach of contract,” according to a GoFundMe for Mora. Cesar disputes both their ownership claim and the validity of the contract, and is fighting back by suing Giumarra for fraud and misrepresentation.

The farmer previously announced he was giving away the fruit from June 29 to July 3, saying he would rather hand out the sweet fruit instead of seeing it go to waste for a second year in a row.

“It’s unfortunate to see such nice fruit go to waste but, when corporations have licensing rights to varieties, this supposedly is someone else’s property,” Mora said in a post on TikTok, calling it a “total loss.”

---

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters