At Indian Sun Citrus’s inception in 1996, the primary focus of the company was on Florida citrus fruit and juices, but within a few short years, says vice president Jack West, it became evident that a new direction was needed. Today the company works with citrus and fresh fruit, as well as with juices from countries such as Spain, South Africa, Uruguay, Mexico, Brazil and Chile. “In our view,” says West, “it was the only way to grow in what is a very difficult market environment. As a result, Florida citrus, while still representing a very important part of our revenue is only one of several revenue sources we have available to us. We feel this has helped our financial position and given us the opportunity to serve our customers on a year-round basis.”
In addition to diversification, a partnership with the Minton family gave Indian Sun Citrus crucial access to what West describes as some of Florida’s best quality grapefruit, primarily targeted for the Japanese market. However in the past two years, much of the grove land owned by the Minton family has been converted into residential and commercial real estate developments and the result has been a dramatic drop in exportable quality fruit and a shift in the priority of targeted markets. Now, most of Minton’s grapefruit is packed for European or domestic markets with just a small amount exported to Japan.
The majority of the company’s grapefruit production comes from the Indian River and interior areas of Florida where maturity is typically reached by early to mid October. All the standard varieties of Florida grapefruit are produced in these areas including Star Ruby, Flame, Rio and Ray (red), Ruby Red (pink) and White Marsh (white).
“Nature helped us to produce a very good bloom in the spring of 2003,” says West. “There was ample rainfall in the following five to six months and that enabled the trees to remain stress-free during the entire growing period. The resulting crop has therefore been exceptionally clean with excellent shape and smooth texture. And the internal quality of the 2003 crop is well above average. There is ample juice and excellent flavour and so despite the anticipated increase in overall volume, I believe the market will easily absorb the 2003/04 crop and that price levels will deliver a positive return to growers.”
The excellent quality of this season’s crop is in direct contrast to the year before when the company faced difficulties with wind scarring. “While the problems could have been reduced with a greater investment in a more aggressive pruning and spraying programme, the reality is that the resources were simply not available,” says West. “In 2002/03 we muddled through with what nature gave us, but it was not pretty.
“The increase in the size of the 2003/04 Florida grapefruit crop and the increase in export volumes which have been forecasted are due entirely to the positive financial results garnered by the grapefruit growers during the 2002/03 season,” he continues. “Prior to last season returns to the grapefruit groves were only red ink and there was nothing left at the end of the day to put back into taking care of the orchards.”
In the past, most of Florida’s fresh citrus crop was transported to Europe and Asia by conventional reefer vessels, but during the past decade, says West, the container lines have aggressively pursued the citrus industry and by reducing their rates to very competitive prices have managed to take over as the dominant force in the logistics chain. “It should be noted,” West adds, “that there is now a movement underfoot to bring back the charter service out of Florida. If that can better the container rate and provide exporters and importers with an adequate service, I would imagine it will become a significant force in the near future.”
Increasing grapefruit consumption is a more daunting challenge and one that has thus far eluded Florida’s citrus industry. “In my opinion we need to focus on producing the best-tasting fruit possible,” says West. “We don’t have the resources to mount a major campaign to educate consumers, or even to convey a significant health message that would prompt consumers to change their buying habits. We should therefore concentrate all of our efforts to completely satisfying every person who buys Florida grapefruit by making the experience a memorable one. By producing a fruit that delivers an excellent flavour to every part of the consumer’s flavour sensors, from the sweet-tasting tip to the sour finish at the back of the pallet, we must engage the consumer with our produce. Without this, no amount of promotion will help the Florida grapefruit industry sustain itself over time. The good news is that we produce exceptionally great-tasting fruit in Florida and with a little self-discipline, there is no reason why any consumer should be disappointed with the flavour of our product.”
