Bringing Citrus to Southeast Georgia: Franklin's Citrus

Bringing Citrus to Southeast Georgia: Franklin’s Citrus

By LeeAnna Tatum

If you look up “citrus-producing States” you won’t find Georgia on the list. But if you live here in South Georgia, you may have noticed that “local oranges” actually do exist. While nowhere near the level of top-producing States like: Florida, California, Texas and Arizona; Georgia is proving to be fertile ground for growing citrus.

Perhaps due to warming winters and a greater variety of cold-tolerant cultivars, the fruit is finding its way further North and settling in nicely here in the parts of Georgia where soils are sandy to loamy and temperatures only occasionally dip to freezing.

One man is at least partially responsible for this growing trend in Georgia agriculture.

Joe Franklin, a native of Statesboro, spent most of his life in the restaurant industry. His parents opened Franklin’s Restaurant in the 50s at the intersection of highways 80 and 301. Open 24 hours a day, they served travelers and locals alike and quickly became a landmark for the City.

Joe retired from the restaurant business after 39 years in 2004, but eventually found a new way to entice travelers and locals to pull over on Hwy 301 - a roadside market for his growing citrus business!

Joe spent a few years living the good life of the retired with plenty of fishing and hunting to keep him busy. But on one fishing trip to Louisiana, he discovered something that piqued his interest - the Satsuma.

“We had always gone to Louisiana for redfish and trout in the spring, but in 2009, we decided to go in the fall,” Joe recalled. “So, we went out there in November and while we were there, the Satsumas were in and different farmers were selling them at roadside stands. And we saw ‘Satsumas’ and we looked at each other and were like, ‘what the hell’s a Satsuma?’”

“We’d never heard of it, so we stopped and got some and that was the best tasting citrus we’d ever put in our mouths!”

When he got back home, Joe did some research and decided that if they could grow in Louisiana, he should be able to grow them in Statesboro. So, he bought 200 trees from Louisiana and brought them home to plant over two acres of land. In 2013, he added five more acres; and then continued to add on around five acres in the consecutive years that followed.

Franklin’s Citrus now grows about 12,000 trees on 75 acres. In addition to adding to the size of the farm, Joe also continued to add different varieties including: Meyer Lemons, Yuzu, grapefruit, Golden Nugget Mandarins and Georgia Kisses. Fifteen different varieties of Satsumas helps ensure an extended Satsuma season.

Citrus season in Georgia begins as early as October and runs through January. Satsumas get things started early in the fall, with the Georgia Kisses ripening in time for Thanksgiving, followed by lemons and grapefruit in December and ending up with the Golden Nugget Mandarins in January.

“We finish off the season with Gold Nugget Mandarins,” explained Bill Renz, Franklin Citrus partner and marketing manager. “This year wasour first sizable crop where we could take them to market and really had a lot of people try them out. We started with just a few trees and saw that it would work and it’s been something we’ve been working towards."

Bringing a new product to market takes years of planning and preparation. Commercial nurseries have a waiting list for new trees and, once planted, it takes several years for the young trees to become productive.

“You’re looking at four to five years before we get a viable crop that we can take to market,” Bill said. “And you’re looking at one to two years before you can even get the trees. It’s hit or miss in the retail industry but if you’re looking to add a sizable amount of acreage you have to get on the waiting list.”

Franklin’s Citrus has focused primarily on supplying the local market.

“We started selling in farmers’ markets - Statesboro and Forsyth Market in Savannah,” Joe explained. “And we’ve been going to Bluffton, South Carolina and Port Royal. Kind of got known for having good citrus. And we opened up a farmstand here on 301 about four years ago and it’s just done unbelievably well. We’ve almost doubled our sales every year.”

Local growers are working together to become more competitive with the large producers out of California. And the recently established Satsuma Company in Tifton, Georgia plans to become a central packaging and distribution point for Satsumas grown in South Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.

“The Satsuma Company in Tifton is going to be a buying point for everybody in Georgia, Alabama and Florida…” Joe explained. “Just recently, they announced the formation of the Sweet Citrus Valley and we’re going to promote ourselves as a group like Indian River Citrus. We’ve got a good marketing team and a grant to get this thing going.”

“We’re looking for big things out of the citrus industry in Georgia. They’re predicting within the next 3 or 5 years, we’ll have 30 million pounds of citrus and that’s a heck of a lot,” Joe concluded.

When asked about the future of Georgia’s citrus industry over the next five to ten years, Joe responded, “I think you’ll see our products all over the Eastern United States, I really do. I think it’s going to be a heck of a business in years to come.”

Joe plans to continue to add more acres and more varieties to the citrus farm over the years. And while he is looking to grow and find new markets, he hasn’t lost sight of his local customers.

“We’re going to keep growing, keep planting new things. They have new varieties coming out all the time and I think you have to stay ahead of the game … but our local market has been good to us and we’ll keep selling here locally.”