As with other citrus production this year, mandarin volume out of California is expected to be down, growers say.
But the category continues to explode in sales, often at the expense of navel oranges.
“It has eroded (navel) sales,” said Randy Jacobsen, sales manager at Orange Cove, Califonia based Cecelia Packing Corp. “The mandarins have become the driver of the citrus category, whereas navels were a decade ago.”
Navels remain the core of the citrus deal in Arizona and California, but not the growth driver.
This year’s mandarin deal should get underway with satsumas in October, with clementines and murcotts beginning after the first of the year and going into April and May, said Bob Blakely, vice president of the Exeter-based California Citrus Mutual.
The category had a pretty good year in 2016-17 and the industry anticipates more success, if a bit lower volume, in the upcoming season, Blakely said.
“Overall, across the citrus category, mandarins have been driving growth,” said Adam Cooper, vice president of marketing at Wonderful Citrus. “We’ve seen it’s now well over a $1 billion category.”
Cooper said Halos now own a 53% market share of mandarin sales.
“In four years since Halos launched, we’ve represented 73% of that category growth,” he said. “Last year, Halos alone accounted for 12% of total produce department dollar growth, so they’re driving sales in the whole produce department,” Cooper finished.
Source: agprofessional.com
