California grower-shipper Mulholland Citrus has joined Sunkist Growers and will begin packing under the Sunkist brand from 1 November.
Mulholland Citrus’ Heather Mulholland said that the family business had a longstanding relationship with Sunkist and was pleased to join the cooperative.
“We are aligned with Sunkist’s sales and marketing approach, as well as the organisation’s values – which, as a family business, are very important to us,” she said in a statement released 24 August.
“Sunkist’s quality promise is central to our brand, and we deliver on that promise by working with best-in-class growers and shippers,” added Sunkist president and CEO Russ Hanlin. “Mulholland Citrus has a rich history of growing and shipping exceptional quality citrus. We are honoured to welcome this industry leader to Sunkist and looking forward to working together to deliver premium fruit to our customers.”
Mulholland Citrus will add an additional 8m five-pound cartons of mandarins to the cooperative’s annual production, which now offers more than 40 citrus varieties from growers across California and Arizona.
“Along with their volume, Mulholland Citrus brings valuable experience and knowledge to Sunkist,” said Sunkist senior VP and COO John Striff. “We are leveraging that experience and working collaboratively to ensure a strong start to the upcoming season.”
