Sunkist Growers Enters New Citrus Season with Strong Crop Outlook and Continued Brand Momentum
October 9, 2026 | 3 min to read
Valencia, Calif. – Sunkist Growers is entering the new citrus season with strong momentum, backed by a diverse portfolio of citrus offerings including Navels, Cara Cara oranges, mandarins, Blood oranges, Minneola tangelos, lemons, grapefruit and organic citrus.
As the California citrus season gets underway, Sunkist expects strong availability across key citrus varieties and is helping retailers maximize citrus performance through category expertise, innovative merchandising solutions and integrated marketing programs designed to drive shopper engagement and sales. At the IFPA Global Show, visitors can explore seasonal crop opportunities, merchandising solutions and consumer engagement initiatives designed to drive citrus sales throughout the season.
This year, Sunkist will introduce Sunkist Produce Academy, a new online learning platform designed to help produce professionals build product knowledge, strengthen selling skills and gain practical insights across retail, foodservice and produce operations. The platform offers training across multiple produce categories to help industry professionals identify opportunities to drive sales and help with ever-increasing turnover and training expenses. Visitors can also experience live demonstrations at the Sunkist booth on both Thursday and Friday, offering an interactive look at the cooperative’s latest tools, programs and solutions designed to support produce industry professionals.
Sunkist will also showcase continued momentum behind its consumer-facing Welcome to the Co-Op platform, which highlights the growers and families behind the cooperative while creating new opportunities for consumers to connect with the Sunkist brand. The platform reinforces the heritage and grower values that have defined Sunkist for more than 130 years.
“Welcome to the Co-Op reflects our belief that the best way to build the Sunkist brand is by putting the people behind the fruit at the center of the story,” said Cassie Howard, Sr. Director of Category Management and Marketing at Sunkist Growers. “That approach continues to resonate with consumers and is helping strengthen awareness, engagement and connection with the Sunkist brand as we enter the new season.”
That momentum is also evident in the continued growth of Sunkist Cali™ Mandarins, which have delivered double-digit volume growth while expanding their appeal beyond families to Millennial and Gen Z shoppers. Looking ahead, the program will continue to engage consumers through family-focused storytelling, seasonal promotions and character-driven partnerships.
Sunkist’s organic citrus program remains an important area of growth heading into the new season. Backed by more than 25 years of dedicated organic citrus production, the cooperative is expanding support for its organic portfolio through new packaging innovations and its Power with the Pink Orange™ Cara Cara partnership with National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF). The partnership was recently recognized with NBCF’s 2026 Corporate Service Award, reflecting Sunkist’s ongoing commitment to supporting early detection, education and support services for those affected by breast cancer.
“Success doesn’t happen through a single investment or initiative,” said Christian Harris, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Sunkist Growers. “It’s the result of continually looking for ways to improve how we operate, how we serve customers and how we position the organization for the future. That’s the approach driving many of the decisions we’re making today.”
Looking ahead, Sunkist is preparing for another strong season of retail, foodservice and consumer programming. Building on last season’s success, including a holiday carton program that drove a 24% lift in Navel orange volume, the cooperative will once again offer holiday packaging, Lunar New Year merchandising solutions, and new seasonal giro bag options and additional consumer activations designed to support citrus sales during key promotional periods.
Visit Sunkist at Booth #2443 at IFPA Global Show to explore seasonal crop opportunities, learn more about Sunkist Produce Academy and discover the cooperative’s latest consumer and retail initiatives.