Wonderful Citrus Builds on its 75-year Legacy by Reaching New Consumers with Coupang

Wonderful Citrus is a world-leading vertically integrated citrus grower that has produced sweet, zesty and juicy citrus for 75 years. The company recently introduced their game-changing Wonderful Seedless Lemons to South Korea through Coupang. “Our Wonderful Seedless Lemons are the same juicy lemons you are used to,” said Jason Osborn, Senior Director of Marketing for The Wonderful Company, “minus the pesky seeds.” 

Wonderful Citrus is a team of citrus growers, packers and marketers who share a passion for producing the finest quality produce from seed to store. They maintain oversight over 74,000 acres of citrus groves from the nursery to planting, picking and delivery.  

“We are fully integrated from seed to shelf,” Osborn said, “operating three state-of-the-art citrus nurseries, 10 packing houses, one juice plant, and have more than 300 merchandising representatives across North America taking care of our products in-store. No one knows and grows citrus like us.”  With partnerships with southern hemisphere growers, the company supplies fresh citrus year-round. 

Their North American farms can be found in California, including the Central Valley and Salinas Valley, Texas’ lower Rio Grande Valley, and along the Gulf Region in Mexico. Wonderful Citrus processes more than one billion pounds of citrus annually, employing 7,500 people during peak growing season, including 1,000 in Texas and 3,800 in California. Their packing plants also span North America, including shipping and packing in Delano, California; Mission, Texas; Gloucester City, New Jersey; and Veracruz, Mexico. 

Historically, Wonderful Citrus has sold navel oranges and lemons to the Korean market. Coupang sells the company’s flagship brand, Wonderful Halos Mandarins, which Osborn describes as “the world’s sweetest mandarin. Our Halos mandarins are sweet, seedless, and easy to peel,” he said. 

“We pride ourselves on quality and making sure every decision we make delivers the best quality to our consumers,” Osborn said. “In fact, our mandarins go through a 22-point quality inspection process prior to ever being packed into a Halos branded bag. We know that sweetness is the most important purchase driver for consumers.”  

Wonderful Citrus leans into progressive agricultural techniques with its advantage of scale and acreage. Coupang now carries Wonderful Seedless Lemons, which Osborn says the Korean market is embracing.  

“We began working with Coupang about two years ago and continue to elevate our presence and delight our consumers,” Osborn said. “Our partnership with Coupang has been an amazing opportunity to grow and develop our knowledge for a new market eager to experience our brands. We are thrilled to be able to reach new consumers, while also being able to communicate our story, who we are, and what we stand for.”