Sumo Citrus Delivers Sweet Punch to China’s Autumn Market

At the 2025 China International Fruit Expo, Produce Report spoke with Greg Asta, export sales manager for AC Foods, at the Australian Trade and Investment Commission booth. Asta noted that Australian Sumo Citrus mandarins reach China in August and September each year, avoiding overlap with the domestic mandarin season, adding that this timing aligns well with the Mid-Autumn Festival to make the fruit an ideal holiday gift.

Sumo Citrus mandarins are known for their sweet flavor, abundant juice, easy-to-peel skin and seedless flesh — qualities well suited to Chinese consumer preferences. Asta noted that last year marked the start of a concerted effort to expand sales of Australia-grown Sumo Citrus in China, which is projected to become the brand’s second-largest overseas market after the United States.

The name “Sumo” derives from the fruit’s large size and round shape, which resembles a Japanese sumo wrestler with a topknot. The variety, known as Dekopon, is a late-maturing citrus hybrid first bred in Japan in 1972.

The first batch of Dekopon seedlings was introduced to the United States in 1998, with exclusive planting rights granted to AC Foods. In recent years, through strategic investment in social media marketing, Sumo Citrus mandarins have become a viral sensation, gaining widespread popularity among young consumers across Europe and North America.

AC Foods owns more than 20,000 acres of orchards across California, Oregon and Australia, cultivating citrus, blueberries, hazelnuts and other crops. In the Australian state of Victoria, 600 acres are devoted to Sumo Citrus mandarins, producing approximately 600,000 cartons annually, which corresponds to roughly 1,633 metric tons of fruit per year.

In August of this year, Legacy Packing, AC Foods’ Australian packing subsidiary, partnered with Tomra to upgrade its facilities and equipment. The plant’s packaging capacity is expected to reach 36,000 cartons per day by June 2026.

Images: AC Foods

This article was based on a Chinese article. Read the original article.