Vero Beach, FL – This past week, Seald Sweet welcomed the arrival of the first containers of Argentine fresh lemons in 17 years to the U.S. “Argentine lemons are considered the top lemons in the world with superior juice quality and content,” says Mayda Sotomayor, CEO of Seald Sweet. “We are thrilled to be able to bring this quality, fresh product to U.S. consumers. Argentina is one of the largest, well-known lemon growers in the world and we always remained hopeful that this superior product would be back in our marketplace.”
Seald Sweet received Argentine lemons in the year 2000, before admissibility for Argentine lemons was revoked by USDA. It is anticipated to be the major U.S. receiver of lemons from Argentina this season. “We were one of the first importers then and are of the first importers this time as well,” says Sotomayor. “For 17 years, we have never given up hope and have continued contact and meetings with the growers. We held the belief that science would triumph and we would once again gain admissibility to the U.S. market.”
According to Sotomayor, Argentina’s supply answers a real demand in the market. “In the U.S., lemons are the third most consumed citrus fruit and the ninth overall,” she says. “Lemons have gone from a per capita consumption of 2.03 in 1980 to 4.32 in 2015. The advantage of Argentina’s program is that we can provide fresh product to the marketplace instead of storage product. Retailers are requesting this as consumers increasingly demand affordable fresh lemons. We are answering the call from consumers for fresh fruit throughout the year.”
Seald Sweet notes the lemon program from Argentina has room to grow. “The producers in Argentina have formed an association called “All Lemons” to ensure consistent production of a quality lemon globally,” says Sotomayor. “We are working with them to increase supply and grow our consistent program as we see demand for fresh lemons during this window increasing.”
The lemons from Argentina arrive via the Port of Philadelphia and Seald Sweet expects consistent shipments through mid-July. The fruit will be handled through Seald Sweet’s own state-of-the-art logistics hub and packing facilities in New Jersey, close to the port to ensure quality control. “We are excited to get this product into the hands of our retail partners especially at this time of year – a great time to promote fresh lemon use,” says Sotomayor.
About Seald Sweet
Seald Sweet was founded in 1909 as a Florida citrus grower cooperative. In 1998, Seald Sweet merged with Greenyard, formerly known as UNIVEG, transforming the company to a global marketer through their international network of companies. Today Seald Sweet is a leading supplier of the citrus category and grapes, apples, pears and more through their global network of companies and partners. www.sealdsweet.com
About Greenyard
Greenyard (Euronext Brussels: GREEN) is a global market leader of fresh, frozen and prepared fruit & vegetables, flowers, plants and growing media. Developing extensive global partnerships with our growers enables us to offer an exceptionally wide range of high quality fresh produce to our customers, which are the majority of the key retailers within Europe. We work closely with our customers to continually meet and exceed their needs and expectations; our drive in industry leading packaging, promotional and product innovation helps us grow together in a mutually sustainable way. We are proud to serve as our customer’s direct connection to the field.
Source: Seald Sweet
