Mandarins have been taking market share from navel oranges for several years, grower-shippers say. But they may be helping the overall citrus category, said Casey Creamer, president of Exeter-based California Citrus Mutual.
Mandarins bring excitement to the category, he said.
“They’re a great snack for kids, parents love them, too, and more consumers are coming in for mandarin products,” he said.
“That brings excitement to the industry in total, and it’s helping navels as well.”
Bearing acres of navels have dropped over the years, and mandarin acreage has gone up, he said. But there’s still a strong navel market.
“I think there’s room for both,” he said.
Navel oranges might seem foreign to some members of the younger set, said Jeff Olsen, president of the Chuck Olsen Co., Visalia, Calif.
“Some kids don’t know what a navel is,” he said.
They’re only familiar with mandarins.
Mandarins eat well, and they’re a good piece of fruit, he said, while navels are not exactly bite sized, and they’re more difficult to peel.
“Convenience is the name of the game these days, and a mandarin definitely is more convenient to eat,” Olsen said.
However, he said consistency and flavor “seem to be more erratic” with mandarins.
For navels, by mid-December “they all are going to eat like candy,” he said.
The company will start shipping its navels and mandarins around the first of November.
As of late September, quality looked good on mandarins and navels, Olsen said.
The firm’s mandarin crop might be a bit larger than last year’s because of new plantings, he added.
Scott Mabs, chief executive officer at Homegrown Organic Farms, Porterville, Calif., also sees mandarins as a favorite of the younger generations.
“Over the last 10 to 15 years, mandarins have had a consistent growth,” he said, and that growth is continuing.
“With younger generations brought up on mandarins, it’s natural that we are going to continue to see fewer people eating oranges and more people eating mandarins,” he said. “I don’t think that’s going to change.”
Homegrown Organic Farms will start shipping satsumas at the beginning of November, clementines in mid-November and the tango/w. murcott in mid-January.
Sizing and quality on all varieties should be good; clementine volume may be slightly lighter this year, while volume of other varieties should be the same as or better than last year, he said.
Mandarins make up more than 50% of the citrus sold at Suntreat Packing & Shipping Co., Dinuba, Calif., said Dan Kass, vice president of import/export sales and marketing.
The company’s Sumo Citrus mandarins are becoming increasingly popular, he said.
The large mandarin variety originated in Japan and has been marketed in California by Suntreat for 10 years, he said.
“It’s still a relatively new item in terms of penetration in the marketplace,” he said.
“Our volumes are continuing to increase each year, so we are able to expand our penetration with existing customers as well as go into new geographic areas.”
Gahl Crane, sales director for Eco-Farm Corp., Temecula, Calif., expects a rather routine season for the company’s organic mandarins.
“Everything should be pretty normal,” he said.
Eco-Farm sources from several districts up and down California, Crane said, and expects to start shipping in November or December, as demand dictates.
Mandarins have latched onto the sales boost the citrus category has received as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
“Folks are spending more money on food,” he said, and they’re being mindful about spending on healthful food and snacks.
Valhalla Sales & Marketing Co., Kingsburg, Calif., ships “all the easy peelers” and planned to start its fall mandarin program the first week of November, said David Stone, an owner of the company.
Mandarins have been “a preferred pickup at the store” over navel oranges for the past few years, he said. And demand is increasing.
Stone said he is not aware of navel orange trees being replanted. Instead, growers seem to be leaning toward mandarins.
“The easy-peel is a small piece of fruit kids can pick up and go outside with,” he said.
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