Citrus Big Business in California

Retailers benefit as producers focus on quality, specialty and merchandising.

Citrus is big business in California. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service, there are currently an estimated 140,000 acres of oranges under production in the state, as well as 69,000 across of mandarins and tangerines, and 52,000 acres of lemons. And despite the state enduring some frustrating times, this product category appears to be in good health, with an expansion into premium lines and innovative new varieties.

Based in the heart of citrus country in Orange Cove, CA, Cecelia Packing Corporation grows, packs, ships and markets premium California citrus, most of which is drawn from its own production covering over 2,200 acres surrounding its packing house.

According to the company’s Allison Garza, Cecelia experienced a successful past 12 months, with record sales in some items, despite challenges surrounding navels. “The first few weeks of the 2025 navel season were a struggle with the surplus of small navels in the industry,” she says.

Harvesting in November through to April-May, and occasionally June, Cecelia’s citrus offer includes navels, blood oranges, Cara Caras, grapefruit, Minneola tangelos, mandarins, and then Valencias to round off the season. Specialty offerings are offered using labels including Cara Cara Pink Navels, and Sky Valley Heirloom Navels.

Another California company focusing on the premium end of the market is Bee Sweet Citrus in Fowler, CA. The business, which offers oranges, lemons and mandarins, is welcoming back its premium line for customers featuring pummelos, Golden Gem grapefruit, Royal Red oranges, and Heirloom navel oranges, all specialty varieties.

“While oranges, mandarins, and lemons have always been everyday household purchases for families, we’ve seen a growing interest in specialty citrus varieties during the winter and spring,” says Bee Sweet’s director of communications, Monique Mueller.

SEASONAL OUTLOOK

Headquartered in Delano, CA, Wonderful Citrus is, of course, best known for its Wonderful Halos Mandarins, but the company is also a leader in seedless lemons — marketed under the Wonderful label — as well as regular lemons, grapefruit, navels and limes.

“This year, we had a very strong winter season, all the way through to the beginning of June, with a nice transition into the counter-seasonal program from the Southern Hemisphere to keep Wonderful Halos on shelf 52 weeks a year,” says Wonderful Citrus’ senior vice president of sales, Dave Rooke.

Wrapping up the first year of partnership with Ventura Pacific Packing — a lemon grower-packer in Ventura County, CA — Wonderful has now established itself as a leading lemon grower, packer, and shipper, representing more than 25% of total lemon category volume. And sales are showing it, Rooke says, with Wonderful’s lemon volume sales almost double compared to year ago.

INFLUENCING FACTORS

So, what is driving California citrus sales? With the 2025/26 season almost underway, Cassie Howard, senior director of category management and marketing, Sunkist Growers, Valencia, CA, expects to see a strong showing from specialty favorites, in particular blood oranges, Cara Cara (of which Sunkist is the largest supplier), and Minneola tangelos from December, following pummelos, navel oranges and grapefruit.

When the market or product availability fluctuates, Sunkist Growers targets its offering to fit the needs of retail partners through larger bag options and customizable merchandising, according to Howard. Given the presence of more USDA “choice grade” fruit, Howard says Sunkist can create more value-led deals for customers.

According to Garza at Cecelia, some of the highest recent demand on the specialty side has been on Minneola tangelos. “It’s a cross between a tangerine and a grapefruit, with the tangerine sweet and the tart grapefruit, and I think it’s that mix of flavors that is driving demand,” she says. “We are also excited to be releasing a new and improved grapefruit carton design in 2026.”

Mueller at Bee Sweet says shoppers are on the lookout for high-quality produce that’s fresh and adds value to their day. “While there’s no doubt that citrus fruits add nutritional value to someone’s diet, they also act as a healthy alternative for those looking for delicious, on-the-go snacks.”

Wonderful’s Rooke says there are also positive signs when it comes to consumer demand in the citrus category, with growth being driven by a combination of snackability, convenience and consistent high quality. “Those three attributes are what consumers are looking for: better-for-you snack options.”

“We firmly believe quality matters and quality sells, and when a consumer has a good experience with your brand, and it resonates with them, they’ll come back and buy it again,” says Rooke. “We see the adverse effect of poor quality, poor taste, on the shelves where we really start to see a decline in sales, and it really hurts the category as a whole.”

PACKAGING & MARKETING

The key to driving citrus sales is being creative in your approach to marketing, according to Garza. “Creativity and curiosity lead to increased demand — if you have someone with some type of creative marketing or a phrase that goes on the bag, it’ll spark curiosity, which leads to increased sales for the retailer,” she says.

With limited floor space often being a challenge for many retailers, Howard says Sunkist will be promoting new, space-efficient displays that are engineered to fit into any store layout. The company will also be providing new grower bin headers spotlighting people behind the hard work that goes into growing the citrus.

Howard says health and wellness are top-of-mind for consumers when it comes to citrus purchases, given the category’s positive benefits for everyday health.

CHALLENGES

For Garza, robotics presents the best, most practical solution for dealing with the labor shortage at all levels of a citrus operation. “A lot of people are leaning toward robotics, from the field to the packaging,” she says. “Implementing robotics, like drone mapping and spraying machines, and even baggers, is essential. It’s definitely helping costs down for suppliers, which will hopefully bring the cost down to consumers.”

According to Rooke, the citrus category as a whole has been over-saturated and over-supplied in a lot of areas, which puts a lot of pressure on growers and shippers.

“It makes it hard in a highly commoditized space where some of the citrus varieties that we sell could be oversupplied,” says Rooke. “Oftentimes, people are selling them below total farming costs. We have to figure out how to balance the equation.”