Fig trees were introduced to California by Franciscan missionaries in 1769, when they founded Mission San Diego. At first, only the dark-skinned, pink-fleshed Mission fig variety was grown in the state. In the 1850s, settlers brought other varieties from the East Coast and Europe, leading to a more diverse fig crop.

After California became a state, a fig industry developed in the Sacramento Valley, focused on dried figs. In the 1880s, fig growers realized that the Fresno area, with its hot and dry climate, was well-suited for figs and began planting the green-skinned Adriatic variety there. This expansion led to the growth of the fig industry in the Central Valley.