MMG Citrus is extending the season for its easy-peel Australian Navel as fruit arrives in the UK a month earlier than last year.

The company, part of the Fresca Group, is marketing the fruit from mid-July until the end of August. It is grown and packed by Belvedere Fruit Growers under nets in Mildura, Victoria, and marketed exclusively in the UK by MMG.

Both Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer will be stocking the orange this summer.

It is characterised by its high brix and low acid ratio and is being targeted at the UK market as being as convenient as soft citrus to peel and much less messy than standard oranges, to appeal to the snack and lunch-box segments.

Garry Cirillo, MMG Citrus commercial director, said: “We knew last year that these oranges were fantastic and that sales would be good so long as we could generate initial interest. We therefore worked with our Australian partners to see how we could extend the season this year and increase the volumes to meet the demand. Our plan is now to get this orange grown elsewhere in the world to help us offer this product for longer and of course in greater volumes.”

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