Summer is looking bright for citrus, say Sunkist Growers officials.
Valencia, the only U.S.-grown orange variety available in the summer months, will be making its return, along with other summer citrus varieties, including star ruby grapefruit and lemons, according to the Valencia, Calif.-based cooperative.
Of course, valencias aren’t just for eating.
“In steady supply, valencia oranges are the perfect summer juicing orange.” said Christina Ward, senior director of global marketing for Sunkist, whose thousands of grower members across California and Arizona supply nearly 40 different citrus varieties annually.
California star ruby grapefruit is available now through July, and marsh ruby grapefruit will make its seasonal debut in July.
And while foodservice is making a comeback, there are still people staying home to prepare their meals, a trend that is expected to continue into summer. That’s a good thing for lemons. According to a recent Sunkist study, 75% of lemons were purchased for a recipe.
“Our research also shows that healthy eating is still top of mind for consumers, 40% of citrus shoppers are trying to eat healthier and 35% are focused on getting more vitamin C,” Ward said.
The company has been selling USDA-certified organic citrus for over 15 years. It has a consistent supply of conventional and organic citrus through the summer and year-round.
“Our organic program includes oranges, lemons, grapefruit, mandarins and tangelos,” Ward said, who noted that organic “navel, cara cara and blood oranges, minneola tangelos, California mandarins and valencia oranges” are also part of the mix.
Sunkist will be deploying a new, 8-pound combo bag for its valencia orange program. The bag is supported by a merchandising program for participating retail customers.
Besides the new packaging, Sunkist has its category management, shopper insights and customizable marketing programs that help drive citrus sales at the retail level.
“Shopper behaviors have changed over the recent years. For example, a recent grapefruit shopper study showed that in-store is the No. 1 source of awareness for grapefruit shoppers,” Ward said. “We have nutrition-focused display bins and point-of-sale materials to reach shoppers in the produce aisle.”
