Edinburg citrus group marks 80th anniversary
The Edinburg Citrus Association, Edinburg, Texas, will celebrate its 80th year of producing and packing Texas Red grapefruit.
“We celebrate this milestone along with our growers, many whose families have been involved with Edinburg Citrus since its inception,” said general manager Jeff Arnold.
Two recent graduates joined the company over the past year.
Jeffrey Arnold, son of Jeff Arnold, graduated this May from Texas A&M. He joined the sales department in August.
Blaine Riley, also a 2012 graduate of Texas A&M, is now in charge of the co-op’s grove care operation. He joined the association’s staff in July.
Lone Star Citrus partners with Sunkist
In August, Lone Star Citrus Growers, Mission, Texas, became the exclusive partner of Sunkist.
“This means our partnership with them will continue to grow and the amount of cartons they represent of our entire package will be larger,” said vice president of sales Trent Bishop.
“The relationship we’ve built over the last 10 years will continue to strengthen,” he said.
Paramount Citrus buys Healds Valley
Healds Valley was recently acquired by Paramount Citrus, Delano, Calif.
The acquisition expands Paramount’s growing, packing and sales operations.
“It gives us the opportunity as a grower to be a “one-stop shop” for the citrus category,” Scott Owens, vice president of sales and marketing, said in an e-mail.
The facilities acquired allow the company to operate out of California, Texas and Mexico.
“The area in Texas where Healds Valley is based is where we cross all of our Mexico citrus production, so it makes for a natural year-round shipping point,” Owens said.
Texas Citrus Mutual managing committee
Texas Citrus Mutual, Mission, Texas, is now managing the Texas Valley Citrus Committee, which provides the funds for TexaSweet Citrus Marketing, Inc.’s promotional programs.
Elisha Ensign, executive director for TexaSweet, says the change won’t affect their efforts at all.
The committee is made up of a board of directors who voted to make the change, according to Ray Prewitt, president of Texas Citrus Mutual.
Previously, the committee was under the direction of the Texas Produce Association
The change took place August 1.
TexaSweet Citrus dives into social media
TexaSweet Citrus Marketing, Inc., plans to launch an extensive social media campaign using Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and the board’s blog, Kymberly’s Kitchen.
“Social media is a growing avenue to reach out to consumers on a daily basis and we plan to utilize these sources to spread the message about our amazing Rio Star grapefruit,” executive director Eleisha Ensign said in an e-mail.
TexaSweet also plans to reach out to national magazines and newspapers to help spread the message that grapefruit is healthy and nutritious.
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