POM Wonderful turns 20, marks start of California pomegranate season
This fall, POM Wonderful has much to celebrate. The Los Angeles-based company is marking 20 years in business, along with making the health benefits of pomegranates more widely known in the U.S. November also marks the start of California pomegranate season and National Pomegranate Month.
In 20 years, POM Wonderful says it has become the world’s largest grower of Wonderful variety pomegranates, the number one supplier of the nation’s fresh pomegranates, and the number one-selling 100% pomegranate juice in North America.
POM Wonderful, which started as 100 acres of pomegranate trees found in the back of a pistachio orchard, has turned into a more than $200 million business, now with more than 9,000 acres of pomegranate trees, according to a release.
“When we created POM Wonderful, it’s hard to believe but pomegranates were essentially unknown in the U.S.,” Lynda Resnick, co-founder of POM Wonderful and co-owner of The Wonderful Company, said in the release. “Twenty years later, because of POM Wonderful, the world knows how important this amazing, historic, romantic fruit can be to a healthy diet.
“We take enormous pride in the part our juice has played in that evolution,” she continued. “We have been uncompromising in leveraging the pureness of the pomegranate, bottling 100% pomegranate juice with no added sugar or preservatives, and in an iconic bottle recognized around the world. In this milestone year, I am excited to celebrate everything that’s been achieved.”
Related: UC Davis receives $50M for sustainability research from The Wonderful Company owners
Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Guns, Germs and Steel,” geographer, historian and professor at UCLA, has called Lynda Resnick a singularity in history, according to the release. He points to her as an example of a business leader who changed the course of history, by creating an entirely new industry and category — introducing pomegranates and pomegranate juice to America 20 years ago.
The full POM Wonderful product line-up includes POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice, Blueberry Juice and Cherry Juice, Wonderful variety pomegranates, POM Wonderful Pomegranate Fresh Arils and five flavors of POM Antioxidant Super Tea flavors.
POM Juice can be sipped straight from the bottle but also makes a great addition to cocktails, mocktails and smoothies, says the company. POM Arils offer a convenient way to enjoy the sweet and tart flavor of pomegranates, while adding a festive pop of color to any dish.
For more information about POM Wonderful or to discover POM recipes, visit the Pom Wonderful site.