© Eurofood Srl
Eurofood's 2024/25 citrus fruit campaign was impacted by unusual rainfall and high temperatures during the first half of 2025, which reduced the production of juice and essential oils.
Giuseppe Ingrillì, Eurofood's commercial director: "The available volumes of lemons, oranges, and blood oranges were lower than in the previous season, with a drop of between 20% and 30%, despite the harvest beginning a few weeks earlier."
Founded in Capo d'Orlando, in the province of Messina, in the late 1970s, Eurofood Srl specializes in processing Sicilian citrus fruits. Over time, the company has expanded its operations, established itself in the organic sector, and begun exporting to over 70 countries. It is now one of the largest producers of lemon, orange, and blood orange juices and essential oils for industrial and retail use in Europe. Respecting the seasonality of its crops, the company processes oranges from November to April and lemons from October to June. It also maintains a year-round marketing campaign for citrus derivatives.
© Eurofood Srl
The lemon market has shown a clear upturn, with fresh quotations increasing by around 20% in recent weeks due to scarce raw materials. This has led to robust demand, especially for natural lemon juice and fresh lemons. In contrast, the 2025 blood orange harvest was lower in volume and quality than the exceptional 2024 harvest. Prices for fruit sold to the industry were slightly higher, and there was intense competition with the fresh market. This made it difficult to find oranges available for processing.
Blood orange derivatives from Sicily remain in high demand worldwide due to their superior quality in the beverage and aromatics industries. Despite the rising prices of all orange derivatives over the last 48 months, demand has remained high for NFC (not from concentrate) blood orange juice, concentrate, and essential oils. A similar trend was observed for blond oranges, with rising prices and lower supply.
Eurofood's citrus processing involves receiving fresh fruit, brushing and washing it, then pressing it. The company uses JBT in-line juicing technology, which enables the simultaneous extraction of juice, essential oils, pulp, and peel in a single production step. Essential oils, pulp, and juice from oranges and blood oranges are packaged primarily in drums and sold as ingredients. Conventional and organic lemon juice is bottled onsite in glass or plastic bottles, often in the characteristic lemon shape.
© Eurofood Srl
Eurofood's strength lies in its selection of fruit from traceable, Sicilian supply chains. The company works directly with producers and producer organizations (POs) that adhere to strict standards. Eurofood conducts analytical testing on each batch of raw materials and derivatives to ensure that organoleptic, chemical-physical, and residue parameters align with current regulations and customer specifications. Eurofood also processes imported products, such as lime juice and ginger. For these products, Eurofood has created a supply chain with complete traceability through partnerships with South American producers.
Eurofood has a long history of exporting, generating over 90% of its revenue from sales in over 70 countries. Key markets include the United States, where Eurofood operates through its subsidiary, Ingrilli Citrus Inc., as well as France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Scandinavia.
© Eurofood Srl
The company works with the world's largest supermarket chains, both for retail products and private labels, as well as with major multinational beverage companies.
"Export is our lifeblood," says Giuseppe Ingrillì, "but it presents challenges, such as the high variability of shipping costs by sea and the uncertainty related to duties imposed by the U.S. government."
Eurofood is looking forward to 1 August 2025, when the U.S. will announce its final position on duties on Italian products.
For more information:
Eurofood srl
Giuseppe Ingrillì
Piazza San Giuseppe, 13
98071 Capo d'Orlando (ME) - Italy
+39 09419522210
[email protected]
www.lemonplus.it
