Georgia citrus mixes it up: New varieties signal industry shift
Georgia’s young citrus industry is moving beyond its Satsuma roots. Growers are currently scaling up plantings of new varieties and exploring juice processing to extend the season, stabilize supply, and support long-term growth.
Lindy Savelle, president of the Georgia Citrus Association, tells FreshFruitPortal.com the shift reflects a broader transition underway in the state. Since formally organizing in 2016 with 27 growers, the sector has expanded rapidly, drawing hundreds of participants within months and continuing to attract new entrants.
As acreage increases, growers are adjusting their varietal mix to address both market and operational constraints.
Building a longer Georgia citrus season
Satsumas remain the foundation of the Georgia citrus industry, but their short harvest window has pushed growers to diversify.
“Tango is a really good one. It's a late-season mandarin that sits on the shelf well, transports fairly well,” Savelle says. The Shiranui variety, known for its sweetness and seedlessness, is also gaining traction.
“We grow a darn good Shirinui, and it's kind of baffling to people who come here from California and see that we can grow this delicious, good-looking piece of fruit as well as they can,” Savelle adds.
Other additions include cold-hardy navel oranges like Southern Frost, as well as grapefruit and newer mandarin selections such as Marathon and Sugar Belle. These varieties aim to improve storage life and reduce the compression of supply into a narrow marketing window.
“So what we're trying to do is extend the season, not only to grow, but to market and have great shelf-life,” Savelle said. Early results suggest the newer plantings are adapting to local conditions.
“We've got grapefruit, Shirinui, Tango here on our grove, and they've survived these Arctic blasts. We think all those new varieties are going to hold up well,” Savelle states.
However, weather-related challenges weighed on the past season, particularly for Satsumas. A late freeze affected the blooms, the executive says, greatly impacting yields.
Juice gains ground
At the same time, interest in processing is opening a new lane for Georgia citrus. Savelle says buyers traditionally focused on juice are beginning to engage with growers in the state.
“We had a presentation put on by the Coca-Cola Company about the varieties that you should be growing if you want to go into the juice business,” she notes.
Juice production could provide an outlet for fruit that does not meet fresh standards. “There's a lot of money in juice, too, because there's less input costs,” Savelle says.
However, the absence of local processing infrastructure remains a constraint.
“One of the first things that we need up here in Georgia is either a juicing plant or an extractor. It's a lot easier and less expensive to ship juice than it is to ship the oranges,” she explains. “It's going to take time to build that infrastructure and to get the funding for it.”
Preparing for pressure
As the industry grows, disease management remains a central concern. Savelle says citrus greening poses an inevitable threat. “It's not if we're going to get citrus greening, it's when here in Georgia on a large scale basis,” she states.
She calls for a coordinated, proactive approach, noting the need for clear protocols and industry alignment.
Despite the challenges, expansion continues. “There's not a week that goes by that we don't have someone calling our nursery wanting to buy trees or to come visit us to talk about putting in a grove,” she says.
*Photos via @lindy_savelle | Used with permission.
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