Sign Up For OPN Connect
Mexico is by far the leading supplier of limes to the United States marketplace, sending millions of pounds north on a weekly basis, and basically cornering the market. Production of all limes in the U.S. is limited and organic limes from any point of origin are in chronic short supply.
As a case in point, in mid-January, a 40-pound carton of 200 size conventional Mexican limes was selling in the United States for about $20, with the organic version more than double at $44 per carton.
Enter Bill Vogel, president of Vision Produce Company, a Los Angeles-based wholesaler. Vision Produce deals in many different niche items, including limes. And Vogel has several ranches in the De Luz region of Temecula in Southern California in which he has planted a variety of organic crops including lychees, longans, star fruit, guavas and Buddha hands. He started the ranches as a hobby and a way to invest in California real estate, an idea he said that almost is guaranteed to turn out well.
Along the way, he noticed the lack of organic limes and the premium they were demanding in the marketplace. With the high cost of Southern California water and labor, Vogel reasoned that his ranch had to produce a high-cash crop to be sustainable, a major reason why he has experimented with the aforementioned organic specialty item.
In 2011, Vogel started planting a few lime trees. He added some plantings the following year and then again the year after that. He harvested a few limes in 2014 and a few more the following year. In 2016, Vogel had a marketable crop, and in 2017, production rose significantly during his main July to January harvesting season. Today, Vogel believes his 30 acres of organic limes makes him the largest organic lime grower in the United States.
For 2018, Vogel anticipates harvesting 25,000 to 40,000 pounds every other week during the primary six-month long season, but the trees do produce all year-round. He says about half of his acreage is in full production, and he is planting 4,000 more trees over the next two years, which would bring his ranches to about 50 acres, a sizable organic ranch. By 2020, he believes two loads per week (80,000 pounds) of organic limes is an obtainable goal.
Vogel said the organic and local nature of the crop should give it a marketing advantage among retailers looking for those attributes. He was a recent attendee at the Organic Grower Summit in Monterey, CA, soaking up information and setting the stage for his increased production. Doing the math, he said only an organic lime crop can economically survive in the United States. Vogel reasons Mexico’s labor and cultural cost give producers too much of an advantage for U.S. growers to be able to compete on strictly a price basis.
