21% Rise for South Africa’s citrus exports

So, yes… Pickle lemonade. Have not tasted it yet, but cannot wait. (honestly!)

Juice News 🧃

How Pickle Lemonade Took Over the Group Chat

“The pickle lemonade started as a lark,” said Amy Alarcon, the chain’s vice president of culinary innovation. But its hydration benefits in a test kitchen weren’t lost on the team, and “it was really good.” It would take more than five years to perfect the recipe and order enough barrel-aged pickles for a nationwide roll out, but Popeyes began selling an electric-green pickle lemonade made with pickle brine on April 1, as part of a special pickle menu that also includes fried pickle chips.

Rasna acquires beverage brand Jumpin for Rs 350 crore

The acquisition comes at a time when India’s RTD beverage market is witnessing rapid growth. According to IMARC Group, India’s fruit juice market is projected to reach Rs 1,22,855 crore by 2033, exhibiting a CAGR of 11.90% during 2025-2033.

Aligned with evolving consumer preferences, particularly among Gen Z, the company is focusing on innovations such as vitamin fortification, low-calorie formulations. In the future, the company will also be working on value addition in Jumpin with proteins and milk-based additives.

Inside Poppi’s push into gaming as prebiotic soda marketing bubbles up

To put itself on one of the most popular gaming platforms for brands and consumers, Poppi teamed with licensed Fortnite studio Creator Corp to launch an exclusive Fortnite mini-game that was amplified by Twitch streamer Cody “Clix” Conrod. And in a shot at gaming nostalgia, the brand launched Alpine Blasters, a retro arcade-style game that saw about 126,000 plays in just four days. The top 1,000 players of the web-based game, of about 24,000 overall, received a branded mailer.

Lancaster, PA beverage company acquired

“Humankind started in 2011 as a bottle of water and a desire to provide access to clean water all over the world,” Humankind co-founders TJ Foltz and Ethan Frey said in a statement. “Over time, the brand grew to include teas, lemonades and fruit juices which we sold out of our own distribution network in the Mid-Atlantic. When Odeko came along and expressed excitement about the distribution and the brand, we knew it was our opportunity to make the next leap. We’re extremely excited to be a part of the Odeko family and can’t wait to see how big we can grow this thing.”

Citrus News 🍊

South Africa’s citrus exports rise 21%

Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) has begun handling South Africa's citrus exports, recording a 21% increase in year-on-year container volumes handled in April 2025.

Each year, vessels carrying up to 7,800 containers dock at Durban Container Terminals, Port Elizabeth Container Terminal, and Ngqura Container Terminal between April and October, exporting South African oranges, mandarins, lemons, clementines, grapefruits, and limes to over 100 markets.

Longtime Florida Ag Influencers Go Back to the Future With New Citrus Endeavor

The Mixon Family is well-known in Florida agriculture circles. They achieved success and earned recognition growing blueberries under the SunnyRidge Farm Inc. banner. The Central Florida-based operation was acquired by Dole in 2011. Mixon brothers — Jerry and Keith — now are looking to make a return to their citrus roots. They recently announced the hiring of Ed Leotti, former COO of Tamiami Citrus LLC, as VP of Production to lead their expansion into growing citrus under protective screen (CUPS).

Research Worth Reading 🔬

Evaluation of Freezing-Induced Changes in Aroma Profiles of Pomegranate Juice by Quantitative Descriptive Sensory Analysis, Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry/Olfactometry, Odor Activity Values, Orthogonal Partial Least Squares–Discriminant Analysis, and Odorant Addition Experiment

The results verified that (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol was the primary odorant for enhancing the grassy and fruity notes of PJ, while hexanol and β-myrcene were crucial for enhancing grassy and woody attributes, respectively.

Leveraging IoT Micro-Factories for Equitable Trade: Enhancing Semi-Finished Orange Juice Value Chain in a Citriculture Society

The results indicate that both IoT micro-factories and global production networks (GPNs) have a direct influence on sustainable social-economic development. Architectural innovation mediates these relationships, while industrial symbiotic moderates the interaction between IoT micro-factories and architectural innovation. The findings emphasise the importance of IoT micro-factories for sustainable development, with industrial symbiotic relationships addressing gaps in knowledge, skills, and equitable trade. The industrial stakeholders should prioritise IoT micro-factories as small-scale factories to promote sustainable development in rural communities of developing countries.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Susceptible and Resistant Rutaceae Plants to Huanglongbing

These findings not only enhance our understanding of the distinct defense mechanisms employed by citrus species against HLB infection but also offer novel perspectives for developing effective prevention and management strategies against this disease.