Sunkist marks 130 years as grower-owned cooperative

Sunkist Growers, Valencia, Calif., is celebrating its 130th anniversary with Sunkist Citrus Day on March 1. The fresh citrus cooperative began in 1893, making Sunkist the longest-standing agricultural co-op in the U.S., according to a release. 

As a marketing cooperative, Sunkist’s first advertisement was published in Des Moines, Iowa, in March 1908 to promote the California observance called "Orange Day." The ad said: "For years March 1st has been celebrated as 'Orange Day' in Southern California and the festivities embrace a period of one week." 

Sunkist Citrus Day is officially registered in the National Day Calendar as a tribute to the more than 1,500 growers that make up Sunkist’s membership and the nearly 40 fresh, premium citrus varieties in its portfolio. While Sunkist offers an array of conventional and organic oranges, lemons, mandarins, grapefruit, tangerines and tangelos, many of its grower-members are small family farmers who have been passing down the tradition of growing citrus from generation to generation, the release said. 

“In a recent study, we learned that citrus shoppers find value in knowing where their citrus is grown and how it is picked," Christina Ward, senior director of global marketing, said in a release. “We wanted to bring citrus shoppers to a California grove with 'Meet the Grower' POP [or] point of purchase and interactive in-store displays. These materials educate shoppers on our growers' stories, the zesty lineup of Sunkist citrus and our farming regions.”

Sunkist is also celebrating its legacy with a premium sweet heirloom navel orange program, available only during peak citrus season.

Grown on old-line California orange groves, Sunkist Legacy Heirloom Navels are available in new 3- and 4-pound giro bags and display masters are accompanied by matching square and quarter bins. The commemorative design was consumer-tested and received an overwhelmingly positive response, with surveyed shoppers saying they would buy the new packaging, the company said.

In celebration of Sunkist Citrus Day on March 1 and throughout the year, Sunkist invites consumers to try a new recipe, follow @SunkistCitrus on Instagram and give Sunkist a shoutout on social media using #NationalSunkistCitrusDay.