Easy-peel clementine oranges have skyrocketed in popularity over the past decade, thanks in part to nationwide marketing campaigns. While summer imports have lagged behind domestic growth, those numbers are changing rapidly.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Retail Report, stores with clementines on ad increased 137% from 2013 to 2017, from an average of 1,273 stores on ad per week from mid-June to the end of September to more than 3,000 stores on ad per week.
Back in 2013, June was a quiet month for imports, with only a few hundred stores on ad per week. That changed dramatically in 2017, with June averaging more than 1,400 stores on ad per week.