CHINA - Sunkist Growers' Navel oranges are traveling the globe, most recently touching down in Shanghai, China. The grower's shipment of newly harvested Navels arrived in the country earlier this month via its partnership with JD Fresh, the produce division of JD.com. Coinciding with the fruit's arrival, JD Fresh has announced plans to double Sunkist imports over the next three years.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to deliver fresh, California-grown Sunkist citrus to consumers in China," said Christina Ward, Senior Director of Global Marketing at Sunkist. "Through JD.com, we can educate millennial consumers on the in-season availability, flavor attributes, and nutritional benefits of our fruit."

A report from MarketScreener outlined that high-quality fresh produce is in high demand amongst consumers in China, making this partnership equally beneficial. Sunkist has been a citrus fruit supplier for JD.com in China since 2018—JD.com has seen a compound annual growth rate of 60 percent in Sunkist citrus sales in past years. Looking toward the future, the company plans to import no less than 10,000 tons of the premium citrus within the next three years.

These Navels are revered for their juicy eating experience and floral notes, all elevated by the beautiful, seedless interior. Through JD's robust cold-chain operations, Sunkist's citrus reaches consumers in over 300 cities across the coastal and inland regions of China. The news source went on to note that China is one of the largest importers of Sunkist citrus.

"Thanks to our close collaboration with Sunkist and JD's cold-chain logistic strength, we have created a highly efficient way to supply the in-season citrus directly from farm trees around the world to the dining tables of Chinese customers throughout the year at a better price and faster speed," said Wei Ye, General Manager of JD Fresh. "As people have greater need for healthy fresh food and are becoming more and more customized to shop for them online after the pandemic, we are confident to support Sunkist to further grow in the China market."

As Sunkist continues to strengthen its partnerships across the supply chain, you can bet that ANUK will be here to cover it all.

Sunkist Growers JD.com