About Citrus Roots

Citrus Roots is an editorial archive covering the history of California’s citrus industry — from the Spanish mission groves of the eighteenth century to the cooperative marketing empire of Sunkist, the labor history of the Southern California citrus belt, and the preservation efforts of the universities, libraries, and civic institutions that have documented this era.

The site was established to continue the editorial mission of the original citrusroots.com archive, which gathered documentary and research material on California citrus heritage across more than two decades. Our editorial work draws on the primary collections at the UC Riverside Citrus Variety Collection, the Cal Poly Pomona W. Keith and Janet Kellogg University Library (which maintains the most comprehensive public collection of California citrus crate labels), the California State University San Bernardino Special Collections, the Claremont Colleges Library, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture statistical archives.

Our Coverage

California Citrus History — The institutional history of California citrus: the Southern California Fruit Exchange (1893), its reorganization as the California Fruit Growers Exchange (1905), the Sunkist brand (1908), and the cooperative marketing model that shaped the modern American produce industry.

Growing Regions — An overview of California’s citrus counties, from the historic Southern California citrus belt (Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Los Angeles) to the contemporary production districts of the San Joaquin Valley (Tulare, Kern, Fresno).

Research Sources — A curated bibliography of primary and secondary research sources for California citrus scholarship.

Contributions — An editorial accounting of the scholars, growers, archivists, and civic organizations whose work has preserved California citrus history.

Editorial Team

Rachel Holt — Lead editor. Holt holds a background in California agricultural history and has contributed to editorial projects documenting the civic institutions of the Southern California citrus belt, including the citrus growers’ associations, the packing house cooperatives, and the women’s clubs and public libraries that the industry financed.

James Carver — Contributing editor. Carver’s research focuses on the labor and water-rights dimensions of California agriculture, with particular attention to the irrigation districts and migrant labor camps of the citrus era.

Contact

Questions, corrections, and research inquiries are welcome via the contact form.