There is significant acreage in California reaching that upper age level and those trees are currently being replaced. “The tree has given all it can by that time,” he said. For mandarins, after about 10-15 years, he said production declines. Apple, avocado and stone fruit trees can literally be top producers for decades. He explained that unlike several other tree fruit crops, a mandarin or clementine tree has a relatively short life span. He noted that volume should also increase as older acreage is replaced with newer trees and the promise of increased yields. He said in the last several years it has been very difficult for supplies to keep up with demand as the popularity of the clementine/mandarin sector has increased exponentially.īut Nager said Sun Pacific is addressing the situation by increasing acreage in both California and Chile. But we want to make sure the consumer experience doesn’t suffer by shifting too soon.” “We want to fill the consumer demand and shift to the California fruit as quickly as we can.

Chilean fruit typically ships through October and then the transition can occur to California fruit, but again there can be a gap. “That offers the top-level eating experience and supplies increase into late summer.”Īs September approaches and lunch boxes start to look for that perfect fruit, demand for the easy-peel mandarin again increases. “As the season progresses we switch varieties to the W.

That is especially true at the outset of the season. He added that volume coming out of Chile is much lighter than what California produces during the winter and spring so it is always difficult for supplies to keep up with demand during the summer months. This season there was a several-week gap before the Chilean fruit hit the U.S. in Pasadena, CA, dresses up its Summer Cuties with a pair of sunglasses on the packaging to connote the arrival of the season as well as the shift in point of origin from California to Chile.Ī bag of Summer Cuties.Howard Nager, vice president of business development for the firm, noted that the California production of mandarins and clementines stretches from November into early May.

Cuties organic mandarins