Tillie Lewis achieved the first successful American cultivation of Italian pomodoro (San Marzano-type) tomato seeds near Stockton, California, laying the foundation for her canning empire.
On July 13, 1935, Tillie Lewis (then Tillie Ehrlich) achieved a breakthrough that would transform American food production: the first successful cultivation on American soil of the prized Italian pomodoro tomato, a variety closely related to the San Marzano used for Italian-style canned tomatoes and paste.
Lewis had traveled to Italy in 1934 to negotiate for the rights to bring these specialty tomato seeds to the United States, defying the skepticism of the Italian businessman Florindo Del Gaizo, who doubted a young American woman could succeed in such a venture. Undeterred, she secured the seeds and returned to California, where she experimented with growing conditions near Stockton in the San Joaquin Valley.
The successful harvest proved that California's climate could replicate the conditions needed for authentic Italian-style tomato products, eliminating the need for costly imports. This achievement was the cornerstone upon which Lewis built Flotill Products, her canning company, which would go on to can tomatoes, fruit, and other vegetables under brands like Tillie Lewis Foods.
This moment marked the beginning of Lewis's rise as one of America's most successful self-made businesswomen, at a time when women were rarely permitted entry into industrial agriculture or manufacturing, let alone as owners and founders. Her success opened doors for the California processed-tomato industry that persists to this day.