Sunkist has taken a look back on a successful 2008 at its annual meeting, with CEO Russ Hanlin reporting an increase in group revenue and payments.
The 115th annual meeting drew over 500 growers to the Ventura County Fairgrounds, where Mr Hanlin recapped the 2007-08 season.
'2008 was another billion-dollar year for Sunkist, the eleventh in the past two decades, which includes four freeze years,' he said. 'In 2008 our total revenues were up 8 per cent over 2007 and at US$839m, payments were up five per cent.'
During the meeting, Mr Hanlin looked back on a year that saw a bumper 95m carton navel crop, a Valencia crop that presented marketing challenges amid higher fuel prices, and a record lemon crop.
Restructuring had been a key part of the past 12 months, he said, as the group looked to make both structural and procedural changes that would allow the group to compete more effectively in the global market. 'The result is a better service at substantially lower costs - both to our growers and to our customers.'
And Mr Hanlin said that he felt the group was well positioned to combat the difficult economic environment.
'While the next several months will not be easy, there is comfort in the fact that Sunkist is armed with more than a century of experience to meet the challenges ahead,' he said. 'Our business is headed in the right direction, our staff is amongst the most knowledgeable in the business, our company is strong financially and our vision is focused.
'We remain the premier marketer of citrus, and my goal as president is to ensure that Sunkist continues to create value for our growers,' Mr Hanlin added.
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