Sunkist Growers held the cooperative’s 123rd annual meeting on 22 February, summarising a 2016 performance that saw the group stand up to considerable challenges.
“We were faced with the challenge of one of the largest Navel orange crops in history, and larger than normal harvests across many of the other varieties we handle,” said Sunkist president and CEO Russell Hanlin. “We responded well, moving an additional 3.5m cartons into the fresh market generating revenue to support over US$1bn in member payments for the third time in the company’s history.”
According to Sunkist, corporate leadership changes, aggressive sales strategies and the advancement of Sunkist’s for-profit businesses in 2016 bolstered positive revenue streams and positioned the organisation for future growth.
Gerald Denni was re-elected as chairman of Sunkist’s board of directors during the meeting. “Working hand in hand with management, the board is pleased with the way we managed a very large crop in 2016, but we are now keenly focused on current industry challenges and building a stronger Sunkist for the future,” said Denni.
