Mulholland Citrus, an Orange Cove-based citrus grower-shipper of primarily mandarins, is joining Valencia-based Sunkist Growers, Inc.
Projected to pack eight million 5-pound carton equivalents of mandarins annually, Mulholland Citrus will join the network of packing houses that comprise the Sunkist cooperative. Mulholland Citrus will begin packing under the Sunkist brand on Nov. 1 to kick off the 2017-2018 citrus season.
“In the four generations of our family’s farming history, Mulholland Citrus has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Sunkist and we are pleased to now be joining the cooperative,” said Heather Mulholland, COO of Mulholland Citrus, in a statement. “We are aligned with Sunkist’s sales and marketing approach, as well as the organization’s values – which, as a family business, are very important to us.”
Mulholland Citrus is a family-owned business run by descendants of William Mulholland, father of the Los Angeles Aqueduct and designer of ill-fated St. Francis Dam in San Francisquito Canyon.
“Mulholland Citrus has a rich history of growing and shipping exceptional quality citrus,”. said Sunkist president & CEO Russ Hanlin. We are honored to welcome this industry leader to Sunkist and are looking forward to working together to deliver premium fruit to our customers.”
“Along with their volume, Mulholland Citrus brings valuable experience and knowledge to Sunkist,” said senior vice president & COO John Striff. “We are leveraging that experience and working collaboratively to ensure a strong start to the upcoming season.”
The Sunkist cooperative of family farms, founded in 1893, offers more than 40 fresh citrus varieties, and is owned by thousands of grower members in California and Arizona. The cooperative opened its new headquarters in Valencia in 2014.
