Cuties Trademark Sold as Wonderful Brands Expands Produce Portfolio

DELANO, Calif., May 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Paramount Citrus, America's largest citrus grower, today announced the acquisition of the Cuties trademark by Sun Pacific as part of a strategic move by Paramount and Wonderful Brands to oversee all facets of the production, sale and marketing for most of the country's California mandarin crop.

Paramount Citrus will partner with Fowler Packing, a significant and well-known mandarin grower and processor based in Fresno. Together, the two companies will grow, process, market and sell more than 60 percent of the country's California mandarin crop.

Paramount Citrus will make a substantial, multiyear marketing and advertising investment to build a stronger brand for mandarins under the "Wonderful" label.  California mandarins sold by Paramount Citrus will be available in stores under a new name this November.

"It's important for us to control our own destiny and oversee all production, marketing and sales, so we can guarantee our customers the unsurpassed taste and quality they've grown to expect," said Paramount Citrus President David Krause. "We'll continue to lead the market as we grow, process and sell this uniquely delicious fruit."

Paramount Citrus will end its joint venture with the commodity grower Sun Pacific this summer. With 14,000 acres of mandarin orchards located primarily in California's San Joaquin Valley, Paramount Citrus will remain the industry's largest grower of the sweet, seedless fruit.

Wonderful Brands is currently the fastest-growing brand in America's produce aisles. Its portfolio includes POM Wonderful, Wonderful Pistachios, Wonderful Almonds, and Wonderful Almond Accents. In addition to California mandarins, Paramount Citrus also will begin selling sweet Texas red grapefruit under the Wonderful label this fall.

Both Paramount Citrus and Wonderful Brands are part of the Roll Global family of companies.

"No one builds consumer brands better than Roll Global," Krause said. "Pomegranates and pistachios were seasonal commodities before our parent company's marketing and sales expertise transformed POM Wonderful and Wonderful Pistachios into category leaders and household names. There are exciting times ahead for customers and consumers of our Wonderful mandarins."

About Paramount Citrus
Paramount Citrus is America's largest integrated grower, shipper and packer of fresh citrus—mandarins, navel oranges, Valencia oranges, lemons, limes, Texas red grapefruit and other citrus varieties.  More than 15 million cartons of fresh citrus shipped from around the world are processed at our facilities in California's San Joaquin Valley, Texas' Rio Grande Valley and Mexico. Paramount Citrus is the country's largest grower of sweet, seedless, easy-to-peel California mandarins, which are processed in the world's largest citrus packinghouse at our company's headquarters in Delano, California. Paramount Citrus is part of the Roll Global LLC family of companies that include the world's largest grower of pistachios and almonds as well as consumer packaged goods such as POM Wonderful and FIJI Water.

About Roll Global
Roll Global LLC is a $3 billion international company focused on healthy brands for healthy lifestyles. Our products include fresh fruit and tree nuts; floral delivery; and premium beverages such as artesian water, California wine and pure pomegranate juices and teas.  Over the last decade, we've transformed the healthy pomegranate and POM Wonderful into a worldwide phenomenon, FIJI Water into the country's No. 1 imported bottled water and Wonderful Pistachios into one of America's top-selling snack nuts.  Our diverse holdings make us the world's largest grower of tree crops, America's largest citrus grower, and the world's largest flower delivery service. As a privately held company, we don't respond to restless shareholders or the whims of the stock market. Our decisions are driven by the long-term health of our businesses, our customers, our employees and our planet. To learn more about the Roll brands, visit www.roll.com.

SOURCE Paramount Citrus