A California-based finger lime producer and marketer is gearing up for the next season as demand for the relatively unknown fruit continues to grow. 

Shanley Farms grows its own finger limes and represents other growers in the state, with the fruit marketed both nationally and internationally under the Citriburst brand.

Finger limes are indigenous to Australia and contain small edible fruits that are sometimes known as 'citrus caviar'. Despite the name, they are not part of the genus citrus, but a related genus called microcitrus.

Shanley Farms' season typically runs from June through January, with peak volumes around September.

Administrative assistant Lauren Taylor told www.freshfruitportal.com people who were not familiar with the fruit were often hesitant at first, but its taste and versatility usually won them over.

"Because it's an unknown fruit, people don't understand what it is when they see it, and so they’re often a little bit frightened at first, but once people get that first little taste it’s an overwhelming excitement," Taylor said.

"People come up with all sorts of different recipes - for seafood, ice cream, yogurt, salads, rich desserts, fruit salads, tacos, cocktails. These add a pop wherever you are looking to take a dish to the next level."

The product is sold to both food service and retailers nationwide, as well as parts of Asia, Europe and Canada, and the representative said demand was seeing an encouraging upward trend.

"I think that the more we put the product out there the greater the demand is. Some weeks we can’t even keep up with demand, mostly because we’re out of season at the moment, but starting in June I think it should be on par," Taylor said, adding the company had recently increased production.

"We have production coming from both inland and coastal regions, which gives us different colored finger limes due to the different climate.

"Fruit sizing and weight really depend on what time of the season we are in, they tend to be 1-3 inches in length."

She also mentioned there was currently only one variety of finger limes growing in the U.S, and Shanley Farms was currently working to bring over a deep red variety from Australia.

The company is also looking to diversify its product line in the future, with plans to soon introduce jarred finger lime pulp - or citrus caviar - and market fresh goji berries.

www.freshfruitportal.com