Looking for a winning move in the produce department from January through March? Then Sumo Citrus® has you covered. Grown in California’s Central Valley, this variety is not only one of the biggest mandarins grown today, but also one with the biggest flavor. Its distinctive shape, prominent “top-knot,” and bumpy and loose, bright orange rind, make for an eye-catching variety that is easy for peeling and eating. Sumo Citrus mandarins are exactly what today’s consumers are looking to bring into their kitchens. The delicate fruit offers citrus lovers a seedless, juicy, full-flavored, and unique eating experience without the mess.
In addition, consumers will love the minimal albedo or “rag” (the white part of citrus) that Sumo Citrus presents, allowing the fruit to section easily with less of the white “netting” sticking to the fruit. Possessing a melt-in-your-mouth flavor profile with a refreshing balance of acidity and sugars, Sumo Citrus has no bitterness and the membranes covering each segment are so thin they practically—you guessed it—melt into the eating experience.
With the evolving dynamic behind today’s consumer buying behaviors, more shoppers are looking to the stories behind the brands at retail to help them with their purchasing decisions—and what a great story Sumo Citrus has. In the 1970s, a citrus grower from the Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan set out to develop a fruit that would combine the best of the Japanese Satsuma with the famous California orange. While the road was challenging, the grower developed a series of methods for growing, pruning, and thinning his trees over the next 30 years, which have now been adapted and improved upon here in the States. Domestically grown by Suntreat, the company behind Sumo Citrus, what was once only available in Asia is now cultivated in California’s fertile soils—ripe for the retail picking.
With such a unique variety available for the produce spread, Suntreat brings a host of tips for customers which includes displaying the fruit prominently, front-and-center in stand-alone displays, highlighting the item with vibrant signage and Suntreat merchandising solutions, and introducing in-store sampling as a great way to turn that first-time Sumo Citrus taster into a repeat customer.
