LoBue Citrus, a full-service grower, packer and shipper of California and imported citrus, is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.
LoBue Citrus started with Philip LoBue, a native of Sicily who had always been intrigued by the business of citrus farming, the occupation of his ancestors.
In 1934, Philip made a down payment on a 40-acre citrus grove in Lindsay, California but soon turned the property over to his sons due to illness. The LoBue brothers then purchased packing equipment and started on-site crop packing. Soon, friends and neighbouring growers asked them to pack and sell their oranges and a growing enterprise was born.
Today, LoBue Citrus is one of the largest independent commercial packers and marketers of citrus in the industry. LoBue-packed products now reach markets in the North America, the Pacific Rim, Australia, Korea, and beyond.
LoBue Citrus’ 80th anniversary will be supported at retail with specially-marked LoBue Family Legacy branded point of sale signage, video and social media. In addition, a special partnership celebrating its 80-year anniversary will be announced soon.
Despite the challenges LoBue Citrus faced over the years, such as the fire of 1968, which burned their Lindsay plant to the ground or the freeze of 1990, which destroyed all the fruit yet to be harvested and shut down the company for most of the year after that, LoBue Citrus continues to grow.
