In the winter of 1978, Maynard and Evelyn Johnson (pictured), the parents of our three founding brothers, began spending their winter months in the south Texas Rio Grande Valley. Never one to sit still, Maynard was intrigued by the citrus groves for sale. He soon purchased one, and then another. Before long, his holdings amounted to several hundred acres.
In search of a better market for their fruit, Minntex Citrus was born in January of 1981. Brothers Woody, Bud and Chuck, began calling on groups and organizations in the southern Minnesota area to sell Texas grapefruit and oranges for fundraising projects—hence the name Minn-Tex. The initial response was very encouraging, and the business was on its way.
After the brothers lost their father, Maynard, unexpectedly in 1983, the family sold most of the Texas groves, but Minntex continued to provide fundraising organizations with high quality citrus directly from the packing houses.
By the end of the 1990s, Minntex was operating two full-scale operations in Minnesota and Iowa, servicing most of the Midwest. In Minnesota, Woody's son, Matt joined the company after graduating college in 2001 to run the business alongside his father. The business remains in the family to this day.
In the summer of 2018, the Minnesota Minntex operation began work on an online platform that would change the way fundraising was done. When the COVID-19 pandemic clouded the landscape for schools and other youth organizations, myfruitsale.com was ready. Organizations now had the freedom to manage their entire fundraiser in a centralized location that everyone could access from their device.
Over the next few years, myfruitsale.com continued to become a larger part of our fundraising program, and in 2023 we began operating under the myfruitsale.com name. Our team remains passionate about creating opportunity through fundraising and we continue to innovate and invest in making our customers’ fundraising experience better. We take pride in our program that delivers healthy, quality products at reasonable prices with excellent service—a unique and special combination that sets us apart.
Our approach is noticeably different from most of what you’ll find in the world of fundraising. Our mission is to provide our customers with a strategic combination of three things - Quality, Value, and Service. Here’s what we mean by that…
Experience how this combination of Quality, Value and Service can offer your organization a simpler, smarter fundraising opportunity.
Send us a message or give us a call. We'd love to chat about your fundraising needs!
Matt (Woody & Tary’s Son) joined the team full time in the summer of 2001. He provides leadership for the company and is involved in a wide variety of roles. Karen serves as Financial Manager and contributes to strategic planning.
After over 40 years of involvement, Woody & Tary maintain an ownership stake in the company. As a co-founder, Woody continues to spend time in the office in various roles when he and Tary aren’t enjoying the beautiful sunshine at their home in Florida.
Jason joined us in the summer of 2011. He serves in several key roles, including procurement, software development, and scheduling deliveries to our customers. Independent of myfruitsale.com, Jason also farms grain part time with his family.
After working in the warehouse during high school, Colin took on the role of Warehouse Manager in 2015. He continued to provide leadership in the warehouse in addition to assisting with scheduling deliveries for our customers. Colin also farms grain and cattle with his family.
After packing fruit on our lines in the spring of 2019, Gianna accepted the position of Office Manager. She currently serves as Customer Service Manager and will likely be the first voice you’ll hear on the other end of the phone.
Harlan joined the sales team in 1994 and continues in that part time role today. During our busy pre-Christmas season, he also assists with warehouse operations.
Eli (Matt & Karen’s son) began his 3rd generation contribution to the family enterprise in high school through marketing and graphic design. He continues in his role as Marketing Manager while he pursues his education in New York City.
After working as a packing line foreman for several years, Holly joined our team in 2023 as our lead Production Manager, managing the packing room and scheduling our seasonal warehouse employees. She also teaches middle/high school art classes locally.
Lynn joined our sales team in 2023 as our Customer Relationship Manager, interfacing with our many existing customers throughout the Midwest. Lynn also enjoys singing, songwriting and spending time with her family.
Three times a year, members of our local community fill our warehouse as valued employees to inspect and pack fruit for our customers. We are blessed each season with faithful crew members, including some who have been been with us for decades. We could never deliver on our promises without these amazing members of our team!
