Sunkist Growers Reports Good Quality and Strong Fruit Movement in California Mandarin Program; Cassie Howard Comments

VALENCIA, CA - The California mandarin season is in full swing. To find out how the category is faring after some unfavorable weather last year, I turned to Sunkist Growers. Reporting strong volume and good quality, the supplier is positioned well for the rest of the season.

“We experienced significant fog across many growing regions during the first 60 days of the season, which required our teams to carefully pick around weather windows,” shared Cassie Howard, Senior Director of Category Management and Marketing. “The fog, combined with warmer-than-ideal conditions, contributed to some fruit drop early in the season and accelerated maturity across certain blocks.”

Despite those challenges, Sunkist Growers has maintained strong fruit movement through its packinghouses and into the marketplace.

Cassie reports that pricing remains strong on the open market.

“This is largely due to continued high demand for high-quality fruit coming out of California groves,” she explains. “Strong arrivals combined with excellent eating quality have helped support healthy movement and pricing across the category.”

Sunkist is currently shipping Tangos and Murcotts, both of which meet high-quality and flavor standards for retailers and consumers.

“As we move further into spring, we will also begin transitioning into Ojai Pixie tangerines, a highly anticipated specialty variety known for its exceptional sweetness and easy-to-peel characteristics,” Cassie adds.

Even though there are a number of variables between now and next season, the grower is well-positioned heading into the next growing cycle.

“From a marketing standpoint, we’re also continuing to invest in consumer education and category engagement. Later this season, Sunkist will introduce a new collaboration with children’s educational creators Captain & Cat, an award-winning kids & family content studio, highlighting our Sunkist Cali™ mandarin program,” Cassie concludes. “They focus on introducing children to the growing process, explaining how citrus is grown in a fun and creative way, and reinforcing the importance of healthy snacking for families along the way.”

We’ll be back to discuss how Sunkist Growers continues to drive demand in this segment. Stay tuned!