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Sherman Oaks, Calif., October 2002...They're sweet…they're juicy…and they're easy to peel. What are they? They are this season's Sunkist seasonal specialties -- tangerines, mandarins and tangelos. And they start hitting the market this month -- along with some super-special Sunkist specialty grapefruit - the Pummelo and the Oroblanco. While there will be some Sunkist® specialty citrus varieties by the end of October, larger volumes will come available as the holidays approach. And supplies will be more abundant as this year's crop is larger than last year. The first tangerines of the season, the popular Fairchilds, are expected to make their appearance in mid-to-late October. Early in the season, the markets will see good to excellent supplies of jumbo and mammoth sized fruit while the later crop will peak on large and jumbo sizes, followed by mediums. (Yes, we know -- those are awfully big names for such petite fruit, but we didn't name 'em, we just make sure they're up to Sunkist quality.) Consumers will have lots of choices with three-and five-pound bags and a five-pound consumer carton. They may be with stem and leaf, or you may find them "bald", but either way, you'll find them good. The season's first Mandarin is the Satsuma, and supplies of this sweet, seedless fruit are also expected in mid-to-late October. Like the Fairchilds, the Satsumas will start out with large sized fruit and as the season progresses the peak will shift to a more typical size structure of large and jumbo with uniformly excellent flavor. Satsumas, with their naturally pebbled exterior texture, will be found as bulk fruit as well as in five-pound consumer cartons. The first Tangelo of the season is the Orlando. This sweet, spicy, easy-to-peel and relatively seedless variety will be available in mid-November. This year's Orlandos have a great size structure, peaking on jumbo and mammoth followed by large. Orlandos are very popular in the three-or five-pound bags and a five-pound consumer carton. The Sunkist Oroblanco (White Gold in Spanish) truly lives up to its name. Connoisseurs say it tastes like a pre-sweetened grapefruit. At maturity, Oroblancos have a soft gold interior and an exterior color that can range from pale gold to dark green. Availability, though limited in October, will increase through March. The volume of fruit available is expected to be double that of last year, with the size structure peaking on 36s, 32s, 40s and 27s. Oroblancos are found both packed in cartons or loose in bins. Sunkist Pummelos are back in the popular "Red Dragon" carton. Already in the market in limited volumes, availability will increase in early November in plenty of time for the gift giving holidays. This year is the largest volume crop ever. Peak sizes are a bit smaller than normal with pint-size 14s, 16s, 18s, and the most promotable sizes - 12s to 23s. They'll still be around in large volumes on Chinese New Year (February 1) to help usher in the year of the Ram. Just in time for Christmas... We'll have Clementines. The exterior of this California delicacy, like its offshore counterpart, is a deep orange and the interior separates easily into sweet juicy segments. California Clementines will be available in very limited supplies in December and will peak on jumbo, large and mammoth. This delectable variety will be found in bulk as well as in the 5-pound consumer carton. This is the sixth year for the delicious Cara Cara Navel with its beautiful orange exterior and rich pink interior. Harvesting of limited volumes is expected to begin by late December with peak sizes expected to be 88s and 72s followed by 113s. The fruit is very sweet with a relatively low acid ratio and few, if any, seeds. It is most popular in the half carton, but is also sold in the standard full carton. The deep red, easy-peel Dancy Tangerines are always a big hit with Stem and Leaf attached. Available in mid-December, this year's crop is expected to peak on large, medium and jumbo. Moro Oranges are Sunkist's sweetheart variety. Moros are blush red outside, deep burgundy inside and taste like "oranges kissed by raspberries." They make an ordinary dish extraordinary. Availability begins in mid-December with sizes expected to peak on 113s and 88s. Moros will be found in a newly designed family pack as well as in a 5-pound consumer carton and five- and two-pound bags. Minneolas are the tangelo best recognized by the knob-like formation at the stem end and the bright red-orange color. This year's crop is said to be exceptional. Supplies will start out of the California/Arizona desert in mid-to-late December and the Central and Southern California crop will come on after the first of the year. There will be plenty of this popular, sweet, easy to peel, seedless fruit available through March. And that's not the end of the story... Later this winter season you'll be enjoying Sunkist Honey and Royal Mandarins with supplies starting in January. Royal Mandarins, sometimes referred to as Temple Oranges, are one of the larger sized specialties. Available from mid-January through February, the Royal's spicy-tart-sweet flavor with reddish-orange flesh and few seeds make it a favorite. Honey Mandarins, with their aromatic, rich and distinctive flavor, will come on the market in mid-January. This thin-skinned delicacy is very juicy and peels and segments easily. Sunkist is America's largest citrus marketing cooperative. The Sunkist trademark is among one of the most recognized brand names in the world and hundreds of different products carry the Sunkist name. # # #
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