A Conversation with Vice President of Sales, Jesse Silva
A Legacy Rooted in the 1860s
When it comes to California citrus, Kings River Packing stands as one of the most iconic names in the industry—a company built across eight generations and more than 150 years of farming history. As AgMeter’s host opened the conversation, he noted just how remarkable it is that the Hazelton family began planting orange trees in Fresno County back in the 1860s.
Today, that legacy continues through Kings River Packing, officially formed in 1977 when the family took on its own marketing and distribution. Since then, the company has grown into one of the largest citrus operations in the Central Valley, maintaining a hands-on, generational approach while expanding into new facilities and new markets.
Growth Through Family Vision: The Cobblestone Expansion
Three years ago, the family took another major step forward with the creation of Cobblestone Fruit Company. According to Vice President of Sales Jesse Silva, the expansion allowed different branches of the family to operate independently while still marketing together under the Kings River umbrella.
What began as a single facility has now grown into a footprint of four locations—two in Sanger, one in Reedley, and the Jireh Packing facility in Cutler/Orosi. The family’s long-term vision remains clear: build a sustainable, unified business capable of supporting the ninth generation soon entering leadership.
A Strong Start to the Citrus Season
As the fall season gets underway, Silva reports a strong start across multiple citrus varieties. Harvest began early with grapefruit and lemons from the desert growing region (D3), followed by Kern County’s first navels.
In the Central Valley, California Clementines—sold under Kings River’s “Poppies” brand—are moving into full production, alongside maturing navels with rapidly improving color and flavor. As import supplies tighten heading into winter, California-grown fruit is taking center stage.
Kings River is currently shipping:
- Grapefruit
- Pummelos
- Navels
- Lemons
- California Clementines
And by December, specialty varieties—including Cara Cara’s, raspberry (blood) oranges, and Minneolas—will enter the pipeline.
Market Conditions: Strong Demand and Premium Early Season Pricing
Silva notes that Kings River’s strategic approach to early-season plantings has positioned the company well. Fruit grown in favorable microclimates allows them to hit the market early with strong volumes and high-quality “fancy” grade fruit.
Imported orange volumes were limited this summer, making customers especially eager to transition to California supplies. Lemons, mandarins, navels, and grapefruit are also benefiting from strong export and domestic demand.
Cobblestone Fruit Company Running at Full Speed
Cobblestone’s operations are also in full swing, now running two shifts and packing around the clock. With fruit requiring a four-to-five-day transition for natural ethylene coloring, the facilities are working 24/7 to keep the pipeline full for retail, wholesale, and food-service partners.
Silva explains that while internal maturity develops in the field, the external color is finished in-house to meet consumer expectations: “Customers buy with their eyes—and you definitely don’t buy green fruit.”
Weather Impacts: Early Rains and the Coming Cold
Early-season rainfall in August and September posed no setbacks, Silva says. In fact, it helped size up the fruit and promote better external color. California’s unique combination of summer heat (which builds sugar) and winter cold (which triggers natural color development) is essential to producing the bright orange citrus consumers expect.
Cold weather—within limits—is also beneficial for holding quality later in the season.
Navigating Tariffs, Trade, and Global Market Shifts
Last season’s tariff challenges in Canada created uncertainty, but Silva reports that Canadian retail and wholesale partners are fully re-engaged and excited about the new crop.
The Kings River sales team continues to adapt to shifting conditions, from politics and trade to unpredictable weather. Their priority: making decisions that protect both the fruit and their grower partners while maintaining strong customer relationships.
As a growing, family-owned business, Kings River is actively pursuing new retail opportunities and working to expand citrus consumption across all channels.
A Highly Efficient, Centralized Facility Network
Although Kings River Packing now spans four major facilities, Silva emphasizes how tightly integrated the operation remains. All locations are within roughly 13–15 miles of each other, allowing the company to centralize logistics and maintain consistent quality control.
A breakdown of their facilities includes:
- Kings River Packing (Sanger) – Major production and loading hub
- Cobblestone Fruit (Sanger) – High-volume facility running two shifts
- Reedley Facility – Additional packing capacity
- Jireh Packing (Cutler/Orosi) – Former Wawona facility, now part of the Kings River system
All fruit—regardless of where it is grown—is brought into this tightly controlled regional network for handling and shipping.
Organics: A Growing but Strategic Category
Kings River entered organics three years ago, taking careful steps to understand the unique challenges of organic growing and marketing. The company has since built a year-round organic program for oranges, lemons, and grapefruit.
Though still a niche category compared to conventional citrus, organics have been well received—especially after Kings River invested in strong packaging and clear consumer messaging.
The company will continue expanding organics where it makes strategic sense while securing global supply partnerships to maintain year-round availability.
Year-Round Supply Through International Partnerships
To maintain continuous citrus availability, Kings River has developed a strong partnership with Chilean grower Alejandro Barros, one of the world’s largest mandarin producers.
Together they created FarmsCo USA, a company marketed exclusively through Kings River Packing. Fruits sourced from Chile, Australia, Morocco, Argentina, and Peru carry the Kings River name—reinforcing consistency and trust with retail buyers even during California’s off-season.
This year-round approach mirrors Kings River’s California model: direct grower relationships, long-term commitments, and a “family touch” that resonates with customers across the globe.
Pest Management, Weather Challenges, and the PCA Perspective
As the conversation turned toward pest and crop management, Jesse Silva acknowledged that citrus remains one of the most demanding categories for PCAs (Pest Control Advisors). Early in the season, thrip pressure is a major focus—particularly when fruit is small and in the petal stage, where scarring damage can occur and impact external appearance.
As fruit grows, the focus shifts toward weather, frost protection, and field-level challenges such as snails and other pests that threaten quality. While superficial scarring may show up from early-season thrip damage this year, Silva emphasized that internal maturity and eating quality remain exceptional. Shoppers may notice minor cosmetic imperfections, but the fruit will taste outstanding.
An Excellent Quality Outlook for the 2025–2026 Citrus Season
Though early in the season, Silva expressed full confidence in this year’s crop. BRIX levels—an indicator of sweetness—are already measuring 12 or higher, signaling excellent flavor right out of the gate. Yields are strong, sizing is ideal, and the maturity profile looks promising across all varieties.
“We expect a really, really good citrus season,” Silva said. “I think consumers are going to respond well to the quality that’s out there.”
Holiday Momentum and Winter Consumption Trends
With Thanksgiving approaching, Kings River Packing is entering one of its busiest stretches of the year. Supplies are booming, maturity is excellent, and color is strong across varieties. Retailers and food-service buyers are already responding to the exceptional early-season quality.
Though citrus demand rises sharply after the New Year—particularly for health-conscious consumers—Silva says momentum is already building. As always, the mid- and late-season outlook will depend heavily on weather, frost management, and block-by-block decision-making as soil conditions and microclimates vary.
“There’s a lot of work to get done,” Silva said, highlighting the intense coordination required from November through spring.
Managing the Most Demanding Months of the Year
When asked about the toughest time of year, Silva didn’t hesitate to point to the California citrus season. The four-to-five-month stretch from early winter through spring requires nonstop coordination, rapid decision-making, and constant monitoring of supply, quality, customers, and weather.
Yet Silva stressed that he loves his work, credits his team, and finds purpose in the responsibility of managing fruit that thousands of growers and workers depend on. “I enjoy what I do so much that it’s hard to call it work,” he said.
Inside Kings River’s Marketing, Forecasting, and Sales Engine
Behind Silva is a large and growing sales and marketing operation—over 100 people managing everything from supply planning and demand forecasting to freight logistics and account strategy. The team works months in advance to line up retail, wholesale, and food-service partnerships ahead of the harvest.
Once the fruit arrives—whether it’s 50 bins or 100—sorting, packing, and boxing begin immediately, and sales teams execute against preplanned programs. A core team of 10–12 account leaders maintains deep relationships across the industry, ensuring Kings River fruit moves efficiently and consistently throughout the season.
Preplanning remains critical, Silva said, but the company also adapts daily to handle the natural variability of the crop and the fast-changing needs of the market.
What Makes California Citrus Unique
Visitors from Georgia and Florida—accustomed to 50 inches of annual rainfall—are often astonished by Kings River’s world-class facilities and California’s arid climate. Silva explained that California’s dryness is a competitive advantage: low rainfall helps drive higher BRIX levels, producing sweeter, more flavorful fruit.
Those environmental differences are exactly why citrus cannot be grown the same way in every region—and why California remains unmatched for certain qualities.
“There’s nothing like California citrus,” Silva affirmed. “It’s the best.”
A Final Word from Kings River Packing
As the conversation wrapped up, Silva delivered a simple message to consumers and retailers alike: when you’re in the produce aisle this winter, grab a bag of oranges or mandarins—and check the label.
“We hope it says Kings River on the back,” Silva said. “Support California citrus this year.”