Jac. Vandenberg, based in Tarrytown, NY, has high expectations for the 2021 summer citrus season as it begins receiving its first citrus containers of the season from the Southern Hemisphere.

With citrus remaining a hot item on many consumer’s shopping lists, Vandenberg is optimistic for a good season. The Vandenberg citrus portfolio includes lemons, oranges, mandarins, grapefruit and tangelos from Argentina, Australia, Chile, Peru, South Africa and Uruguay. Last summer season, Vandenberg imported over 28,000 tons of citrus and expects to see an increase this season.

In its initial forecast for the 2021 season, the Chilean Citrus Committee of ASOEX estimates a 6 percent increase in citrus exports, encompassing navels, lemons, and easy peelers (clementines and mandarins). With a total citrus forecast of 387,000 tons, Chile expects to ship roughly 85 percent of all volume to the U.S. market.

Sunkist Growers recently debuted Family Segments, a new three-part series on YouTube. Hosted by chef influencers in Canada, the at-home cooking tutorials give viewers an intimate window into how families connect with one another over conversations, culture and citrus.

It was clearly a challenging 2020 for the foodservice-centric fresh lemon and lime crops. While each commodity received a retail boost — as did all citrus — the loss in business from restaurants and bars because of the pandemic was impossible to replace.

IMG Citrus, a family-owned, vertically integrated citrus grower, packer, and shipper in Vero Beach, FL, announced the acquisition of a large citrus grove in Charlotte County, FL. The 2,500-acre grove increases its control of citrus land management in Florida by 27 percent, bringing its total acreage in Florida to 11,387 acres and further securing its position as an established citrus leader in the state of Florida. The grove was originally planted in the 1990s and known as the Chiquita grove.

Sumo Citrus has marked its 10th anniversary in commercial production with in-store promotions and extravagant displays of the enormous and crowd pleasing citrus. Exceptionally sweet, Sumo Citrus is a hybrid of several citrus varieties, notably Navel, Pomelo and Mandarin, with the Sumo Citrus brand specifically marked by its remarkable size and easy to peel skin.