I never really cared for raisins in my deserts or cereals, but I’ve always loved to just eat them right out of the Sun-Maid box. In 1873, Francis T. Eisen planted an experimental vineyard of Muscat grapes on 25 acres along Fancher Creek, just east of Fresno. By 1878, packaged raisins were being shipped out of the state, and by 1903, California was producing 120 million pounds of raisins a year.