ICP continuing its Texas representation
ICP continuing its Texas representation
When J.B. Cutsinger began selling Texas citrus in northern California he was a much younger man and the Texas industry included more than a dozen packer-shippers.
A lot has changed in those close to 40 years. But Cutsinger still sells Texas citrus in much of the Golden State and considers his firm — International Citrus and Produce in , Burlingame, CA — the “go-to” citrus supplier for the area, at least for Texas citrus. “Yeah, I think after all these years people look at us as their Texas citrus supplier.”
He said the shrinking number of Texas shippers has changed the deal “but change is for the good. The remaining shippers are doing a very good job and are continuing to ship only top quality fruit.”
Cutsinger said it is the quality and taste of Texas citrus, especially its well-known, sweet, red grapefruit that has made it a fan favorite in Northern California. “We service from Bakersfield to the northern border” with Oregon, he said, describing ICP as a distributor. The company does not own its own fruit but rather buys citrus on a daily basis from south Texas and distributes to Northern California. It’s a business model that has worked for Cutsinger for almost 40 years.
Texas provides mostly grapefruit, but also oranges, for about a six- or seven-month period typically beginning in late September and stretching to late April. At that point, California grapefruit takes over. Cutsinger and ICP does sell some Florida grapefruit in California, but the firm’s president said these days he is selling “less and less Florida fruit. My customers tend to prefer Texas citrus,” he noted, stating it in the simplest of terms.
Cutsinger said those customers are split fairly evenly between wholesale and retail. Both categories are spread throughout the vast geography he serves though the wholesalers tend to be concentrated in the bigger city markets such as San Francisco and Sacramento. ICP sells whatever size Texas is producing, but Cutsinger said the Northern California market tends to favor fruit in the 48-, 40- and 36-size range. “A few retailers sell 32s, but I’d say most of the fruit we sell are 40s or 36s.”
The company also represents Mexican limes through several south Texas distributors as well as tangerines out of South America.
