Printer Friendly
The Free Library
14,757,371 articles and books
Member login
User name  
Password 
 
Join us Forgot password?

Orange Crush.


Brazilian companies This is a list of major companies based in Brazil. Please note that the list is highly incomplete and does not have thousands of companies of different sizes. Links should only point to the Wikipedia article, and not to a web page URL.  are quietly taking over the Florida orange juice market.

SOON, FLORIDA ORANGE AND JUICE LABELS MAY BE WIRTEN IN Portuguese.

Citrus companies based in Brazil, or heavily involved in operations there, are squeezing the U.S. competition right out of their own sunny Florida backyards. They are rooting themselves firmly in the region's citrus processing, importing and even growing operations. And Floridians realize they're being uprooted from their own turf. "Brazilians are always our No. 1 competition," says Barbara Oxford, the executive director of the Peace River Valley Citrus Growers in Florida. 'And now they are diversifying."

Brazil's Cutrale Citrus has invested at least US$30 million to acquire and upgrade operations in Florida, as has its compatriot com·pa·tri·ot  
n.
1. A person from one's own country.

2. A colleague.



[French compatriote, from Late Latin compatri
 Citrosuco Paulista. Multinational commodities firms Louis Dreyfus of France and Cargill of the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , which are both major players in Brazil--the world's largest grower of oranges--have also acquired processing plants in the Sunshine State, the world's No. 2 grower.

Brazil accounts for about a quarter of all the citrus fruits citrus fruits, widely used edible fruits of plants belonging to Citrus and related genera of the family Rutaceae (orange family). Included are the tangerine, citrange, tangelo, orange, pomelo, grapefruit, lemon, lime, citron, and kumquat.  worldwide, with oranges representing about two-thirds of the total. Since the mid-1980s, however, the United States has slapped high tariffs on Brazilian OJ, with duties reaching as high as 63%. To avoid these duties and attack new markets, Brazilians are increasing their operations in Florida. "The Brazilians are now responsible for about 40% of the juice processed in the state," says Philip Lesser, the economic and market research director for the University of Florida's Citrus Research and Education Center in Central Florida
For the college, see University of Central Florida.


Central Florida is the central region of the United States state of Florida, on the East Coast.
. "And the growing trend is continuing."

Cutrale, a subsidiary of Brazil's Sucocitrico Cutrale, runs former Florida Minute Maid Minute Maid is a product line of beverages, usually associated with orange juice, but now extends to soft drinks of many kinds, including Hi-C.

Minute Maid was the first company to market orange juice concentrate, allowing it to be distributed nationwide and served
 processing plants, five Brazilian processing plants and three ships. One of the largest growers and processors of citrus products in the world, the company produces 25 million to 30 million boxes of oranges annually from more 100,000 acres in Brazil. Citrosuco has 80,000 acres under cultivation. And adding in the operations of multinationals Dreyfus and Cargill, experts estimate that the four concerns control 80% of the Brazilian market and capacity capable of processing 30% of U.S. orange output.

Florida's tristeza. While tariffs have managed to keep Brazilian produce at bay, Florida growers, processors and other citrus companies are fighting a host of elements. Florida's fight against the dreaded orange tree disease--citrus canker canker, small sore on the inside of the mouth. A canker appears as a shallow, whitish ulcer surrounded by a thin, red area. It is tender, sometimes painful, and may occur singly or as one of a group of sores.  that lowers each tree's fruit production--may require the destruction of a million trees by the beginning of next year. That's a third of the South Florida's citrus tree population, but Gov. Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician, and was the 43rd Governor of Florida as well as the first Republican to be re-elected to that office. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the younger brother of current President George W.  says the state must cut down the trees to keep the disease from spreading farther north toward the heart of Florida's citrus empire.

Oxford, however, says growers are more concerned about a possible outbreak of another disease, tristeza, which shuts down the ability of trees to take in water. "Commercially, that's what we're seeing more of," she says. "And especially with a drought, the trees can die much more quickly."

Whether it's death by canker or by tristeza, a large loss in Florida acreage would give an even stronger foothold foot·hold  
n.
1. A place providing support for the foot in climbing or standing.

2. A firm or secure position that provides a base for further advancement.


foothold
Noun

1.
 in the industry to the Brazilians, who, Floridians say, face less environmental pressures. "We don't operate as other countries do," Oxford contends. "The American people An American people may be:
  • any nation or ethnic group of the Americas
  • see Demographics of North America
  • see Demographics of South America
, for example, are more environmentally conscience,"

Now that the Brazilians are moving into Florida, however, growers will no longer be able to claim unequal conditions. Additionally, the Brazilians may begin to compete in new segments, such as the high-priced juice known as "not from concentrate." According to according to
prep.
1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.

2. In keeping with: according to instructions.

3.
 the Florida growers, the Latin American citrus titans are cultivating their own production in the Sunshine State. "A lot of the Brazilian processors are getting their own acreage," says Oxford of the Peace Valley association. "They're going to have more of their own supply."

With their own acreage as well as their own supply of Florida-grown oranges, Brazilians are expected to tap themselves into every juncture junc·ture
n.
The point, line, or surface of union of two parts.
 of the citrus network. The local Florida growers figure that the best defense is a good offense, emphasizing Florida-quality orange juice. "We figure that once someone's tasted Florida orange juice, they'll never go back," Oxford says. But more and more "Florida" orange juice is going through the Brazilian pipeline.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Freedom Magazines, Inc.
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2000, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

 Reader Opinion

Title:

Comment:



 

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Author:FABEY, MICHAEL
Publication:Latin Trade
Date:Sep 1, 2000
Words:696
Previous Article:ALL That it Seams?
Next Article:Out of Bounds.



Related Articles
ETAOIN. (KSL/AM-TV's editorial spokesperson retires)
Little Tip to Lose Lots of Weight.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE NAME FOR THE DYSFUNCTION JUNCTION?(News)
A NEW PLACE TO PLAY; PALMDALE DEDICATES 73-ACRE PARK CENTER.(News)
LOCAL NOTES.(NEWS)
EDITORIAL ORANGE CRUSH.(Editorial)(Editorial)
Bend runner signs with UO; ranks second in state in 800.(Sports)(Regional Roundup: Mountain View's Flaherty becomes 10th member of Ducks' recruiting...
VISITORS, BE FOREWARNED HOOPS TEAMS' CHEERING SECTIONS FORGE UNIQUE IDENTITIES.(Sports)
YEAR-OLD ORANGE LINE HAS THE JUICE 20,000 DAILY RIDES SURPASS ALL HOPES.(News)
Brandel earns Pac-10 honor.(Sports)

Terms of use | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc. | Feedback | For webmasters | Submit articles