Celebrating a Legacy of Quality, Sustainability, and Global Citrus Leadership
Wonderful Citrus is marking a significant milestone on February 28, 2025, by celebrating 75 years of worldwide leadership in the fresh citrus industry.
Originally established in 1950 under the name Paramount Citrus, the company has evolved into a full-service operation that oversees everything from growing to packing, shipping, and marketing a wide array of citrus varieties.
This anniversary underscores how Wonderful Citrus has harnessed its expertise to deliver a portfolio featuring mandarins, lemons, valencias, limes, and more, including its flagship branded produce lines, Wonderful Halos mandarins and Wonderful Seedless Lemons.
The company traces its roots to an era when independent growers in California needed better representation in a market often dominated by consolidators and brokers.
Paramount Citrus stepped in to provide marketing support and a fair distribution system.
Then, in 1981, Lynda and Stewart Resnick acquired Paramount Citrus, injecting additional capital and branding savvy that paved the way for one of the most robust agricultural portfolios under The Wonderful Company umbrella.
Over the decades, Wonderful Citrus has not only raised the bar in citrus marketing but also furthered the branding of pistachios, almonds, pomegranates, and other produce, driven by a commitment to delivering top-quality products year-round.
Wonderful Citrus aims to remain at the forefront of fresh produce offerings through constant innovation and consumer-oriented marketing.
“We are proud to celebrate a legacy built on deep expertise, boundless passion, and an unwavering commitment to putting our people and partners first. As we celebrate 75 years, Wonderful Citrus is excited to continue leading the citrus category forward through innovation, quality, marketing, and sustainability because no one knows and grows citrus like us.”
Zak Laffite, President, Wonderful Citrus
This statement reflects the company’s mission to strengthen relationships with growers, retailers, and consumers, all while advancing sustainable and ethical production methods.
One of the ways Wonderful Citrus is commemorating its 75th anniversary is by reintroducing its original Paramount Citrus label as a primary name in its product lineup.
This homage to the company’s beginnings now appears on both packaged and loose fruit across produce sections nationwide, connecting the business to its decades-long heritage.
In tandem with this brand revival, Wonderful Citrus has revamped its website to highlight enhanced capabilities, featuring an improved user experience for industry partners as well as a dedicated online portal to support growers.
By streamlining communication and collaboration, the company aims to deepen its global network of hundreds of growing partners spanning seven countries, supported by nearly 7,500 employees across its main packing operations in California, Texas, New Jersey, and Mexico.
A significant factor in Wonderful Citrus’ success is its approach to marketing and merchandising, which includes more than 200 in-store merchandisers the largest such group in the produce industry.
These teams collaborate with retailers to design eye-catching displays and packaging, showcasing products in strategic store locations to reach consumers effectively.
In addition, Wonderful Citrus partners with food service distributors to ensure restaurants and other dining establishments have reliable access to high-quality citrus that can enhance various menu offerings.
By prioritizing brand consistency and product excellence from seed to shelf, the company underscores its belief that shoppers increasingly prefer trusted names when making produce choices.
Wonderful Seedless Lemons serve as a prime example of how the organization embraces consumer feedback to push innovation.
These non-GMO Project Verified lemons have disrupted the market by meeting growing demand for seedless varieties, leading to robust sales gains.
In fact, for three consecutive years, Wonderful Seedless Lemons have accounted for the entirety of bagged lemon category growth, reflecting the company’s influence in steering consumer preference toward convenient, high-quality produce.
Alongside commercial achievements, Wonderful Citrus places significant emphasis on environmental stewardship and community well-being.
The company operates large-scale nurseries and invests in advanced farming techniques, with sustainability as a core element in its day-to-day activities.
By the end of 2025, Wonderful Citrus intends to power 100% of its operations with renewable energy.
The commitment to responsible resource use extends to water conservation and carbon emissions tracking, ensuring that growth efforts do not come at the expense of future generations.
Wonderful Citrus and its parent company also contribute extensively to philanthropic projects, with Lynda and Stewart Resnick and The Wonderful Company having invested over $2.5 billion in global initiatives, including $1.3 billion dedicated to environmental sustainability to help mitigate the impacts of climate change.
