Speculation in field purchases, the growing dominance of southern hemisphere fruit in early autumn, climate change, pests, and inflation have made the first part of Spain's 2025 citrus campaign particularly challenging, especially for mandarins. From family business Frutas Minguet to the Iberian Premium Fruits group, the sector shares similar concerns.
© Frutas Minguet
"It has been a complicated first part of the citrus campaign to defend the high prices paid in the field due to widespread fear of not having enough volume after the hailstorms this summer," says Juanjo Minguet of Frutas Minguet (Xilxes, Castellón). This coincided with a longer-than-expected supply from the southern hemisphere, offering better varieties at lower prices in a more price-sensitive market.
"I believe this expansion of the southern hemisphere window at the start of our campaign is not temporary, but a growing trend," Minguet says. He highlights Orri as "the best variety in my opinion, both agronomically and in terms of flavor," with fewer shelf-life issues than many early Spanish varieties and competitive prices for European distributors.
Mandarins and clementines, especially Clemenules, were most affected by hail. However, Minguet notes that production may not have fallen as sharply as initially feared. The marketing window for Clemenules has been shrinking for years; if harvest volumes fall but the selling period also shortens, supply can still be sufficient or even excessive.
© Frutas Minguet
Climate change is compounding the issue. Longer summers and delayed cold weather mean fruit ripens earlier, increasing storage and quality problems. "Clemenules is causing more and more problems, and markets are waiting to move on to the next varieties, such as Sando or Clemenvilla," Minguet explains.
For Alba Soler of Iberian Premium Fruits, which marketed around 145 million kilos in 2024/25, the message is clear: "The market has been sending signals about the need to continue advancing in more consistent early varieties, both in internal quality and presentation." She stresses varietal investment and medium-term planning rather than structural alarm.
Minguet agrees: "We need varieties adapted to new climatic conditions, that can stay on the tree longer and give us flexibility." New options such as Mina may overlap with Clemenules, although the latter would still retain a smaller window.
© Frutas Minguet
In this demanding scenario, Iberian Premium Fruits focuses on excellence. "We do not compete on volume or price, we compete on excellence," says Soler. Selected farms, strict agronomic control, harvesting based on flavor, and high packaging standards ensure consistency. "When markets are tense, the average product suffers first. High-quality fruit continues to sell."
Continuous investment in automation, optical sorting, digitization, and robotization further strengthens efficiency and long-term sustainability.
For more information: 
Frutas Minguet
Ctra. del Mar, s/n
Chilches 12592 (Castellón)
Tel: +34 689 308 397
[email protected]
www.frutasminguet.com
