Latest News From Summer Citrus

Hammonton, N.J.-based International Fruit Co. will see bigger imported citrus volume this summer, says Norman Barao, vice president of sales and marketing.

Seald Sweet will have about 3 million cartons of citrus volume from Peru, Chile, Uruguay and South Africa this summer.

Wonderful Citrus will source its summer citrus volume from Chile, South Africa, Peru, Uruguay and Argentina, and the marketer’s supply will be up significantly this season.

Summer citrus volume for Yonkers, N.Y.-based Jac Vandenberg should see slightly increased volume, says John Paap, brand manager for the company.

The Chilean Citrus Committee of ASOEX estimates a 6% increase in citrus exports, encompassing navels, lemons, and easy peelers (clementines and mandarins). 

Citrus marketers have benefitted from great consumer interest during the COVID-19 pandemic and that isn’t likely to change anytime soon, Christina Ward thinks.

Thanks to year-round availability, tastier varieties and improved growing practices, summer citrus seems to be more popular than ever at neighborhood supermarkets.

Senior director Chris Cockle said Dinuba, Calif.-based Wonderful Citrus will have an extensive offshore citrus deal this summer that will include mandarins, navel oranges and lemons.

Good news has been a rarity since the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic broke out early this year. But there appears to be a bright spot when it comes to U.S. citrus sales.

Grower-shippers share the latest news from their operations, plus plans for the future.

Citrus suppliers will have plenty of product for retail and foodservice customers over the summer months, and they plan to promote them in numerous ways, particularly in stores.

The summer citrus season is underway, with a bevy of items from California and the Southern Hemisphere.

The summer citrus deal has changed over the past decade, emphasizing trends the industry is seeing in domestic production.

While the availability of variety citrus is spurring more options for retailers, the summer citrus deal is about to get a big ray of sunny, yellow supplies: long-awaited Argentinean lemons have started to arrive.

Business updates on companies featured in The Packer's Summer Citrus section

For the first time, retailers saw growth this season in single rather than double digits in the easy-peeler category, so the commodity could be stabilizing.