Growing a Community: Pioneers of the Japanese American Floral Industry

Kitayama Bros. Nursery

Brothers Tom, Ray, Kee, and Ted started the Kitayama Bros. Nursery in Union City in 1948. By the late 1950s the Kitayama Bros. Nursery had 40 acres of flowers under glass and was the largest carnation grower in California. In the 1970s the Watsonville location was opened. Today the Kitayama Bros. Nursery in Watsonville is run by a new generation of Kitayamas and is one of the largest flower growers in the country.