The Citrus Unions

As California entered the rapidly growing citrus industry in the late 19th century, it quickly became the Wild West for entrepreneurs. Quality, pricing, and availability varied so greatly that many companies couldn’t make a profit, and their products spoiled before reaching consumers. Without a standardized transportation system, most cities across the nation that wanted fresh fruit couldn’t get any. Growers also faced broader challenges, including oversupply, chaotic marketing, inconsistent fruit quality, and unfair practices by middlemen. There was no uniform system for packing or grading, making it difficult to maintain reliable standards in the marketplace. These efforts led to the formation of the California Fruit Growers Exchange.

California Fruit Growers Exchange

In 1893, the Riverside Fruit Association became the first to offer a solution, followed by many others, including our own Queen Colony Fruit Exchange. Hundreds of growers met. By organizing as a cooperative, the Exchange enabled them to coordinate sales, standardize packing, negotiate better shipping rates, and collectively market their fruit. The very first organizational meeting took place at the Colton Fair, marking a turning point in the effort to bring order and stability to California’s citrus industry.

“Oranges were classified as follows: All oranges that were bright and strictly of the highest California grade were branded "Fancy"; oranges that might be bright but not strictly up to Fancy were branded "Choice"; oranges that were smutty or otherwise not up to Choice were branded "Seconds."”

“The Lemon Growers Exchange has adopted the Sicily box for packing. This is the size used by Florida packers and is much more acceptable to eastern dealers than the ordinary California box. The box, which packs 360 lemons, is 25x14x10½ inches inside measure. The box packing 300 lemons, larger size is 11¾ inches deep. We believe this will be the first use of the Sicily box for California Fruit and shows the progressive character of the Exchange.”

“The lemons are separated into three grades and will be known respectively as the Bear, Eagle, and Owl brands. Each member of the association has a number which is marked on his boxes, and thus every individual's fruit is kept track of.”

Bear brand $2.60 per box

Eagle Brand $2.10 per box

Owl Brand $1.85 per box

But this early standard would be far from a perfect model. Prices ended up varying as much as $4.50 per box in Chicago to as little as $.60 in San Francisco. It would be nearly 8 years before the exchanges and organizations would finally agree and standardize their quality and marketing practices.

The Sunkist Sunburst Trademark

Sunkist

Sunkist began in 1893 as the Southern California Fruit Exchange, created to bring citrus growers together and strengthen their ability to market fruit. By 1905, it was known as the California Fruit Growers Exchange, and in 1952, it officially became Sunkist Growers, Inc. This cooperative model allowed local growers and packing houses to sell their fruit under one trusted brand, helping ensure consistent quality and expanding their reach to markets across the country.

Corona’s climate and soil made it ideal for growing oranges, especially navel and Valencia varieties. Local growers joined the Exchange to reach national markets, boost profits, and follow consistent packing standards. Packing houses were built in the city, and citrus became a major part of Corona’s economy and identity. Several packing houses, such as the Corona Citrus Association (originally called the Sunset Fruit Company), operated under the Sunkist label. This partnership allowed local growers to access broader markets and benefit from Sunkist's established reputation.

Some citrus growers and packing companies refused to join the California Fruit Growers Exchange, preferring to remain independent and control their own marketing. Others distrusted the cooperative model or already had successful private operations. These independents, known as “outsiders,” sometimes caused competition and price instability. Despite this, the Exchange expanded and became dominant, especially through its Sunkist brand.

In 1980, the Corona Citrus Association ended its marketing agreement with Sunkist and began marketing its fruit directly. Despite this shift, the legacy of Sunkist's influence on Corona's citrus industry remains legendary in the city's rich agricultural history.

Red Ball

In 1907, the "Sunkist" trademark was adopted and millions of citrus was wrapped (literally) in this new advertising. Thanks to a quickly growing railroad industry, more and more states began to be accessible. South of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and the Ohio River, Choice fruit was marketed under the "Red Ball" trademark. Choice represented the "seconds" fruit that were not quite up to the quality that "Sunkist" brand wanted to represent.

The Red Ball label was closely linked to the Justrite Packing Company, based in Riverside County, California. With its bold red circle design, the label stood out among the many colorful crate labels used during the height of the citrus boom. Justrite was one of several packing houses that supported the growth of citrus farming in the Corona area, but ,unfortunately, detailed records of the company’s operations are very limited. Nonetheless, standards for how fruit was marketed would continue to change as the industry grew, which may explain why so many Corona labels are found with a blacked-out "Red Ball" logo.

Final Thoughts

We know there are a lot of names here and it can be quickly confusing. There is no perfect way to summarize nearly 100 years of agricultural history, but if you check out the list of Corona’s Packing Houses first, all of the name changes may start to make a little sense.

Congrats! You made it to the end of the page. That was a lot of info!

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