Zak Laffite, president of Wonderful Citrus, based in Delano, CA, confirms the grower-side of his business needs January torrential California rains more than the marketing side is cringing about production interruptions.

Nonetheless, production of Wonderful Halos may be down about two percent this year because of unharvested fruit. On Jan. 9, Laffite indicates that Wonderful growers were fastidiously watching their groves for the locations best-suited to harvest. Soaked land in a grove can suffer substantial damage from harvest equipment.

Although two percent may not sound like a big number, Laffite told Fresh Fruit Portal: “Anytime you walk away from fruit on a tree, it stings more. You grow it for a purpose.” Wonderful Halos account for 25% to 30% of the total category volume in North America.

Laffite attributes good planning to having a disproportionately high percentage of Wonderful’s Halos planted at the southern end of California’s Central Valley. This winter the greatest rainfall is flooding the central and northern parts of the valley. Wonderful grows Halos through much of the valley’s 200-mile length, ending at Madera north of Fresno.

On Jan. 10, Wonderful provided the latest information on California flooding. Precipitation levels across the state are tracking well above average for this time of year  at about 130-160% of average. Still, despite the storms, most major reservoirs - before the Jan. 9 storm - were still anywhere between 40-60% of their historical average fill.

Laffite indicates that Wonderful Citrus has geographically and climatically diverse plantings to optimize market availability through the season. The strategy also helps dodge widespread damage, as is being proven this month.

Halos are shipped from November until about June. In recent years, new varieties were planted to extend this season from mid-May. Halos’ largest volume peaks in February and March. Last year’s volume was very light. The 2022-23 supply is up at least 20 percent, Laffite says.

In November, early season Halos marketing is burdened by late arrivals of Southern Hemisphere mandarin imports. These can be of lesser quality, “consumers are largely disappointed” and market prices often sag. Thus, Wonderful prefers to heighten its market presence in the spring.

Halos shipped from November into early January are Clementines. In the second half of the shipping season, the Halos brand is composed of mandarins, Tango, and Western Murcott. Laffite adds that a new related variety is coming onto the market but isn’t yet available on a large-scale volume.

In the last four or five years, Wonderful Halos’ marketing program has pivoted more toward social media, Laffite says. From a broadcast perspective, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are key outlets.

On the commercial side, Wonderful Citrus, which is, of course, part of The Wonderful Co., enjoys working with 250 corporate merchandisers spread across the country. This field staff works with retailers in their respective regions to sync Wonderful promotions with the tools, interests and capabilities of individual customers. Among such options are new Halos point of sale materials.

These promotions, Laffite notes, “are more of a rifle shot” than previous broad industry promotions.

While Wonderful Halos are sold across North America, the heaviest distribution is in the central United States, as well as the length of the eastern seaboard. To a lesser extent, the company has a presence west of the Rockies.

Laffite became president of Wonderful Citrus in January 2020. Beyond Halos, Wonderful Citrus offerings include Wonderful Seedless Lemons and oranges. Wonderful is Texas’ largest citrus shipper, and also one of the largest Mexican citrus providers.

Wonderful bought into the Texas citrus business in the summer of 2012.