In Demand – Sunkist Organics

Las Vegas, NV (April 2009) – The first load of Sunkist organic navels rolled off the line in early November 2007 at Jeff Pfeiffer’s California Custom Packing line. And that, as they say, was the start of something good.

Today Sunkist has three affiliated packinghouses certified to pack organics. In addition to Pfeiffers in California’s Central Valley, Oxnard Lemon packs organic lemons in California’s Coastal growing area and RBI Packing, LLC packs organic citrus in the fertile California desert.

With an aggressive marketing strategy and attractive packaging, Sunkist’s organics program has been steadily growing. “Our customers tell us they are glad we have crafted an organics program and are anxious to have us involved in organics in an even bigger way,” said Sunkist President and CEO Russ Hanlin.

More and more Sunkist growers are growing more and more varieties of organic citrus. It is not an easy transition, nor a quick one. It takes three years to phase into certification unless growers are able to plant on fallow land.

For many Sunkist growers, however, it is a return to methods used to grow citrus when they were younger. And often the transition to organics is made easier because Sunkist growers have long relied on Integrated Pest Management (letting good bugs eat the bad bugs) rather than on chemicals.

Currently Sunkist has Organic Navel, Valencia and Cara Cara oranges, Lemons and Satsuma and W. Murcott Mandarins.

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