Bee Sweet Citrus Announces Cutting-Edge New Mandarin Facility; Ben Ladd Discusses
FOWLER, CA - Bee Sweet Citrus is optimizing its capabilities to achieve growth in a key citrus category. Recently, the fresh produce purveyor revealed an expansion of its packing house, introducing a cutting-edge new Mandarin facility adjacent to California Highway 99.
“Bee Sweet’s investment in a Mandarin facility solidifies our place as a key player in Mandarins,” stated Vice President Ben Ladd. “Our goal has always been to run as efficiently as possible to maximize grower returns, and this facility ensures we’ll be able to do that for years to come.”
The 213,000-square-foot facility will include cold storage; holding and degreening rooms; wash, sorting, and pack lines; and a large shipping and dock area, according to a recent release. Construction on the facility began in early 2022, and it is expected to be fully operational for the 2022–2023 citrus season.
The addition of this new facility will eliminate the supplier’s need for a night shift and will also allow the company to upgrade some of its existing space to run certain varieties more efficiently.
In addition to this state-of-the-art expansion, Bee Sweet Citrus has also teamed up with Tree Fresno to plant approximately 30 trees along with the new building, keeping environmental sustainability at the forefront of the company’s goals.
“Delivering a project of this magnitude, despite the supply chain and inflationary challenges ushered by COVID-19, is a testament to the resolve Bee Sweet brings to growing, packing, and shipping the best fruit,” continued Ladd. “This is a recipe that spells success for the grower and the packer; it’s a win-win.”
California’s citrus industry is set to collectively harvest approximately 66,000 acres of Mandarins throughout the 2022–2023 citrus season, as noted in the release. Bee Sweet grows, packs, and ships approximately 10 different varieties throughout the year and ships fruit throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and several Pacific Rim countries, including Japan.
To see where this strategic expansion takes the fresh fruit supplier next, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
