From the very beginning, Minntex has been a family enterprise. The story begins in the winter of 1978 when the parents of our three founding brothers began spending their winter months in the south Texas Rio Grand Valley. Never one to sit still, Maynard was intrigued by citrus groves that were 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 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.
In addition to the original Texas citrus, Minntex pioneered a large assortment of pre-mixed fruit boxes in the early 1980s that included California navel oranges, several varieties of apples, and pears. Cheese and sausage selections were added in the mid-80s to complement the fruit selections. Over the years, the product line has continued to evolve to keep up with changing consumer tastes and trends.
In the summer of 2018, Minntex began work on an online platform that would forever change the way fundraising was done. When the Covid-19 pandemic clouded landscape for schools and other youth organizations, myfruisale.com was ready. Organizations now had the freedom to manage their entire fundraiser in a centralized location that everyone could access from their device.
Today, Minntex continues to be a family-owned company. Our team is passionate about creating opportunity through fundraising and we continue to invest in making our customers’ fundraising experiences 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.
In the future, we look forward to expanding our offerings in a way that gives more organizations the opportunity to raise the funds they need, while serving their communities with products they can be proud of.
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…
Send us a message or give us a call. We'd love to chat about your fundraising needs!
Woody & Tary Johnson
As a co-founder, Woody continues to be involved with sales, and coordinates all aspects of customer deliveries. Tary works full time during our busy pre-Christmas season, communicating with customers to ensure their delivery process runs smoothly.
Matt & Karen Johnson
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.
Jason Penner
Jason joined us in the summer of 2011. He serves in several key roles, including sales, procurement, and production. Independent of Minntex, Jason also farms grain part time with his family.
Colin Bennett
After working in the warehouse during high school, Colin took on the role of Warehouse Manager in 2015. Colin also farms grain and cattle with his family.
Gianna Peschges
After packing fruit on our lines in the spring of 2019, Gianna accepted the position of Office Manager. She handles many aspects of customer service and will likely be the first voice you’ll hear on the other end of the phone.
Harlan Glenn
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 Johnson
Eli (Matt & Karen’s son) began contributing to the family enterprise in high school through marketing and graphic design. He continues in this role part-time as he pursues his education.
Andy Welsh
Andy stepped away from his own marketing company in 2021 to accept our Director of Sales and Marketing position. He is heavily involved in sales, and provides strategic oversight for our myfruitsale.com platform.
Three times a year, members of our local community fill our warehouse as valued employees to inspect and pack fruit to make unpacking and final distribution as easy as possible for our customers. We could never deliver on our promise without these amazing members of our team!
Wondering what to explore next? How more about learning about what makes us different?
